All Blog Posts from Internet Terror Monitor

The Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan (IMU) released a new video that included statements in German by two operatives identified as Abu Ibraheem and Abu Adam. The two militants are German brothers of Moroccan descent from Bonn and had been recently identified by German authorities as Mounir and Yassim C.

Abu Adam had appeared with his brother in a video released last January.

The 14-minute tape is entitled “God’s Soldiers” and was released by the group’s media wing Jundullah Studios. It also contains footage of fighters from other countries, including Turkmenistan, China, Russia and Tajikistan. One of the members shown looked as young as 14 years old.

This tape also included shots of some operations undertaken by the group and the aftermath of the attack on the NATO supply trucks depot in Peshawar, as well as pictures showing Orakzai Commander Hakimullah Mehsud driving a stolen Humvee with some of his men sitting on the roof of the vehicle.

It also included footage of the aftermath of the attack on the German embassy in Kabul back in January.

There were also shots of the Jundullah Studios, where the group’s editors were shown working diligently at their computers.

The Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan (IMU) was formed in 1998 by former Soviet paratrooper Juma Namangani and the Islamic ideologue Tohir Yuldashev, both Uzbeks from the Fergana Valley. Their objective was to overthrow President Islam Karimov of Uzbekistan and create an Islamic state The group is known to be an al Qaeda and Taliban ally, fighting in pockets along the Afghan-Pakistani border.

Videos recently shown by the group reflect a greater involvement of operatives from Germany in the group’s activities.

As Sahab, the mouthpiece of al Qaeda terrorist organization, released a new audio message by an alleged German operative identified as Hafiz Abu Talha. The statement was released in German with Arabic subtitles and is entitled “Islam and the Financial Crisis.”

The speaker specifically addresses the German people in particular and offers a solution to the global financial crisis based on Islamic law.
“How could people allow their money to be squandered? Where has it gone? Has it vanished into thin air or gone to secret bank accounts?” he says according to the Arabic translation.

“Where are the taxes that the German people need badly today? They are being spent on the soldiers in Afghanistan who do everything but fight,” he added, arguing that capitalism has repeatedly failed as a system.

A German-speaking member of the Islamic Movement in Uzbekistan appeared in a new video urging Muslims in Germany to join the fighting in Afghanistan. The man was identified as “Abu Adam From Germany” and appeared in a video released by Jundullah Media entitled “Good News From Afghanistan.”

The leader of the group, Mohammed Taher Farouq, also appears making a speech which was dubbed in German. Farouq had threatened attacks against a number of Western and Asian capitals in a video released in December 2007.

The video also includes footage of the militants in mountainous areas, as well as aftermath pictures of a number of attacks against Afghan forces and pictures of militants driving around in 13-vehicle convoy of pick-up trucks and other vehicles apparently seized from NATO or local government forces.

The video also featured short speeches by a number of other militants, who all spoke in English.

The German Islamist Militant known as Eric B. called on the German government to pull its troops from Afghanistan and stop its support to Israel and Uzbekistan in a six-minute video posted online by the Islamic Jihad Union (IJU). In the video, which is part of a series entitled Badr Attawheed, Eric B. also called on “his brothers” to join the jihad.

Eric Man, aka Abdel Ghaffar al Almani, is a 20-year old German convert to Islam from Neuenkirchen in Saarland who traveled to Pakistan in 2007 and joined the Islamic Jihad Union (IJU), a group linked to al Qaeda.

An Afghan from the Chardara area of Kunduz province was executed by Taliban fighters, after “confessing” to spying to the German forces and revealed the “mujaheddin’s” locations, according to a statement released on the group’s official website and signed by Taliban spokesperson Zabihuallah Mujahid. The Afghan man was identified as Supi Muhammad.

The German militant who appeared in an Internet video and called for “jihad” may have been making his final statements before a suicide operation. The footage of the 20-year-old Eric B., who is known as Abdul Ghaffar, is part of a video series called “Badr al Tawheed.”

Towards the end of the tape, the German militant is seen sitting on the floor in front of a black banner with an Arabic writing reading: “There’s no God but God and Mohammed is his prophet” and two AK-47s placed against it. He seems to be making a statement, but there is no audible sound. Instead, this part of the video is covered with the usual jihadi chanting often included in videos of militant Islamist groups.

The scene is typical of videos of “suicide bombers” making their final statements before carrying out an operation in similar jihadi videos. The fact that the German militant appeared with his face unmasked reinforces that possibility.

Deutsche Welle reports that the German Militant spoke in German on the tape. "Come over to the jihad, for that is your way to paradise," he proclaims in halting German. "If you cannot come, then help us with your wealth." Deutsche Welle also said EU officials have put posters of the suspect at all the bloc's entry points on fears of a suicide bombing by Eric B.

A four minute clip from a video series entitled: Badr at-Tawheed was released on several Jihadi websites. The video features an interview in German with a 20-year-old Nuenkirchen native and convert to Islam called Eric B. and known as Abdul Ghafar.

Abdul Ghaffar is well known by German security services, which on April 4th issued a warning of possible terrorist attacks from two German citizens including Eric B. He is thought to have traveled from Germany to Egypt, then to Dubai, Iran and Pakistan before reaching his final destination, Afghanistan, and received extensive training by the Taliban in Waziristan.

This video series was launched recently “to take revenge from those who humiliated the prophet,” as is stated in the video. “To the brothers of monkeys and pigs we say, we shall strike against you, right in the heart of your own homes,” the video opening warned.

NEFA:
The NEFA Foundation has obtained footage documenting the first suicide attack carried out by a German national of Turkish origin in Afghanistan. The March 3rd attack targeted the Sebari military compound near Khost, along the restive Afghan-Pakistani border. Cuneyt Ciftci (a.k.a. Saad Abu Furqan)--a 28-year old German national born in Bavaria to a family of Turkish immigrants--drove an explosive-laden truck into a US guard post killing 2 soldiers. (read the post and watch the video)