All Blog Posts from Internet Terror Monitor

Members of militant Islamist Internet forums were ntrigued by the video showing the confessions of the alleged al Qaeda-led Islamic State of Iraq leader Abu Omar al Baghdadi, which was released by the Iraqi police on Monday, despite strong indications that the captured man was not Baghdadi.

“Why is the Iraqi government still lying about this? “ exclaimed one member using the name “Erhabi 12800.” I feel there might well be a plot here, he added.”

Other members shared Erhabi’s view and many thought that this could only be an attempt by the Iraqi security apparatus to get al Baghdadi, who never appeared in any videos, to show his face.

The Iraqi military spokesman General Qassim Atta had announced earlier this month that his forces have arrested the Islamic State of Iraq’s leader in Rasafa. But Last week, an audiotape from al Baghdadi was released online, where he denied reports about his arrest reports. Despite the denial, the Iraqi military insisted that the man they arrested, Ahmed Abd Ahmed Khamis, was indeed al Baghdadi.

“A Golden chance to Join Jihad in Somalia” was the title of a message launched today on al Falojah forums by a member with the username “Abo Dojana.”

Abo Dojana invited those who want to participate in “jihad” to join the militants in Somalia to form what he called “a base of martyrdom-seekers who would from there spread to the entire world.”

The posting attracted a lot of other members who gave their views on the issue. “Somalia could actually be an ideal base for physical and weapons training…and from there one could join the brothers in the liberation of Mogadishu and from there move on to other Jihadi fronts,” said one member with the username Abdel Kafi.

“God help me for I am certain that this is the ideal alternative front to Afghanistan in producing terrorism and exporting it to the entire world,” said another.

Other members went on to discuss practical details, including how to get there. They were directed towards a militant Islamist website run by foreign jihadis in Somalia, where they were told they would find helpful information.

A member of al Falojah jihadi blog called on militants to strike against tourists visiting their countries during the coming summer holidays. “You all know that the economy in some Muslim countries, such as Egypt, Tunisia, and Morocco, relies mainly on tourism. By weakening this vital sector, we would deal a real blow to these countries’ economies,” the user, who used the name Moheb Abu Bakar, said.

He also called on fellow forum members to launch an online media campaign to warn tourists against the consequences of visiting Muslim countries. “And if they don’t listen we would kill a tourist who is a citizen of a country that is part of the countries fighting us, and take his money as booty,” the man suggested.

He them gave some advice about how to carry out this plan in five steps from tracking down the tourists and until killing them. “You must carefully choose the timing and the location in order to guarantee the success of the operation. You must maintain secrecy of the whole operations before and after it has taken place,” he wrote.

Many members of the forum hailed Abu Bakr’s idea. One member howver argued that this would harm Muslims just as much as it would harm their governments. He was scolded by other members and labeled an “agent of the Crusaders.”

A member of a militant Islamist Internet forum going by the name Kokoslh inquired on the military preparation forum of the website about the possibility of extracting Potassium Nitrate from goats’ feces.

“Please provide me with a detailed explanation from A to Z,” he said. “I have several manuals but I just couldn’t figure it out.”

Another member, Khalaila, responded with a detailed recipe, advising Kokoslh on the tools and material he needed to prepare, and the steps he should follow.

A third member called Hameed joined the discussion, addressing a few question regarding some of the material needed, and then finally told the others that he will try to carry out the experiment and would let them know if he was successful.

A member of a militant Islamist Internet forum going by the name al Battar al Salafi posted a message informing other fellow members that God has finally given him the chance to take part in jihad, after three long years during which he dedicated himself to online jihad.

“I am now just a few days, if not hours away from migrating and joining the Islamic State of Iraq,” the man said, asking other members to pray for him to make it there safely.

He does not clarify how this chance was given to him, but said he would be recording his final statement and would post it on the Internet in the near future.

A militant Islamist Internet forum member going by the name “Deeb Mohammed” posted an “urgent request” on a number of websites yesterday. He appealed to fellow forum members to provide him with all material available on planes hijacking. “Please provide me with everything you got on the hijacking of planes, books, videos, trainings…etc.,” he said.

A member of a militant Islamist Internet forum asked for guidance on ways to strike against Jews in western countries. The member, who uses the name “IT Fallujah,” posted the message entitled “we need help on ways to target Jews’ and other centres in the West.”
He appealed to those with more experience to provide him with instructions on the making of explosives. “We need clear instructions, bearing in mind that it’s for people who have zero experience in explosives. We don’t just want manuals. We want somebody to explain things to us, and tell us where to acquire the material needed to make explosives from,” the posting said.
He then addressed another forum member who had posted an easy “Napalm” bomb recipe, asking him for some clarifications. “You explained in your posting how to use the material. Could you do us another favor and clarify to us how to use it and detonate it?”

A militant Islamist Internet forum announced in a statement posted online today that a group of its members were now taking part in military operations against Israeli forces in Gaza. The statement gave details about some of the battles fought by the forum’s members mainly in al Zaitoun and al Toffah areas. It also said one member who uses the name “Abul Baraa al Maqdissi” has been wounded in the fighting.

A member of the al Shouraa forums who claims being from the ‘Maghreb’ countries in North Africa proposed a variety of options for Muslims to demonstrate support for Gazans.
The forum member recommended attacking Jewish (and not just Israeli) people in Muslim countries. He advised that acquiring the weapons necessary to carry out such attacks could be done by attacking police personnel or buying it from the black market. “Use all possible means to carry such attacks, be it knives, swords, or even Molotov cocktails tossed at their gatherings or vehicles,” the man said.
He urged perseverance and courage in carrying such attacks and advised Muslims to publicize their attacks and post videos of their operations. He concluded his posting by offering to answer any queries by other forum members.

IAF reconnaissance planes proved to be instrumental in finding Hamas targets. So much so that Palestinian insurgents turned to Internet forums, trying to find a way to counter them. “The Son of Palestine” launched an urgent appeal on the m3ark forum today for anybody who could suggest a way to detect, intercept and jam the electronic signals transmitted by Israeli reconnaissance UAVs.