Terrorists have traditionally sought to exploit new and alternative media, particularly on the Internet, to spread their propaganda and to a lesser extent, operational and tactical guidance to prospective supporters through websites, forums, blogs, chat rooms etc. In recent years, Islamic terrorists have expanded the purview of their online endeavors into social networking sites, websites that create and foster online communities organized around shared affinities and affiliations that connect people based on interests and relationships. In most cases, social networking sites are openly viewable to any participant on the site.
Tag Archive for Islamic Fundamentalist Terrorism
Federal Bureau of Investigation
(U//FOUO) FBI Warning: Controversies in Muslim Communities Raise Potential for Violence
THE FBI ASSESSES THAT MULTIPLE ONGOING CONTROVERSIES IMPACTING US MUSLIM COMMUNITIES MAY SERVE TO POLARIZE PUBLIC OPINION AND FUEL ISLAMIC EXTREMIST RHETORIC, BOTH IN THE SHORT- AND LONG-TERM. THE FBI CURRENTLY HAS NO SPECIFIC CREDIBLE INFORMATION THAT INTERNATIONAL TERRORIST ORGANIZATIONS ARE PLANNING ACTION AGAINST THE UNITED STATES BECAUSE OF THESE EVENTS, ALTHOUGH THE POTENTIAL IMPACT OF THESE CONTROVERSIES NECESSITATES CONTINUED VIGILANCE FROM STATE, LOCAL, TRIBAL, AND PRIVATE SECURITY ENTITIES. MULTIPLE CONTROVERSIES GENERATING HEATED RHETORIC OVER THE PAST FEW WEEKS, OPEN SOURCE REPORTING HAS DRAWN ATTENTION TO SEVERAL CONTROVERSIAL EVENTS IMPACTING MUSLIM COMMUNITIES IN THE UNITED STATES. WHILE EACH BEGAN AS A SEEMINGLY LOCAL DISPUTE, ALL ARE NOW RAISING NATIONAL-LEVEL QUESTIONS REGARDING CONSTITUTIONALLY PROTECTED FREEDOMS AND ISLAMS ROLE IN AMERICA. THE PLANNED BURNING OF QURANS BY A NONDENOMINATIONAL CHURCH IN GAINESVILLE, FLORIDA IN RECOGNITION OF THE NINTH ANNIVERSARY OF 11 SEPTEMBER CONTINUES TO ATTRACT ATTENTION. THE CHURCHS LEADER HAS STATED HE DOES NOT THINK THIS EVENT IF IT OCCURS WILL PRECIPITATE VIOLENCE AGAINST HIM OR HIS FOLLOWERS, DESPITE NUMEROUS DEATH THREATS, WARNINGS FROM OTHERS IN THE LOCAL COMMUNITY, INTERNATIONAL MUSLIM COMMUNITY PROTESTS, AND PROTESTS FROM FOREIGN GOVERNMENTS.
Federal Bureau of Investigation, Florida
(U//FOUO) FBI Warning: Extremists Likely to Retaliate Against Florida Group’s Planned “International Burn A Koran Day”
(U//FOUO) While the FBI has no information to indicate a specific attack has been planned against the United States or US assets in response to the “International Burn a Koran Day” event, the FBI assesses with high confidencea that, as with past incidents perceived as acts of desecration against Islam, extremist actors will continue to threaten or attempt to harm the leaders, organizers, or attendees the event, scheduled for 6:00-9:00pm on 11 September 2010 in Gainesville, Florida. Depending on the continued national and international publicity the event receives, it may also inspire retaliatory attacks against US facilities overseas.
Headline
“Ground Zero” Mosque Protest Islam Freakout Photos
Barbara Lee, defending her decision as the only representative to vote against the initial funding of the war in Afghanistan (Authorization for Use of Military Force Against Terrorists, 420-1), on September 14, 2001: We must not rush to judgment. For…
Afghanistan, Department of Defense
Human Terrain System Report: Salafist and Wahhabist Influence in Afghanistan
Afghanistan is in many ways an unlikely home for radical Islamic ideologies. Afghan religious life until the 1950s was, and in many places still is, traditional, conservative, rural, and mystical. Just as Afghanistan was politically and ethnically highly fragmented, religious life has also varied tremendously depending on region, ethno-linguistic group, and degree of urbanization.
Documents
Anwar al-Awlaki May 2010 Interview Video
Anwar al-Awlaki May 23, 2010 Interview Video.
Documents
Adam Gadahn December 12, 2009 Video with Transcript
As-Sahab video released December 12, 2009 and featuring Adam Gadahn, who claims that the mujahideen is not responsible for attacks on civilians in Afghanistan.
Department of State
U.S. State Department: Look out for terrorist beggars
(SBU) On January 20, a suicide bomber disguised as a beggar approached Afghan warlord General Abdul Rashid Dostum outside a mosque in northern Afghanistan. Though the “beggar” detonated his device one meter from Dostum, no one was killed in the explosion other than the bombers himself. In this issue of Terrorist Tactics, we will see how posing as a beggar can serve as a clever ruse to carry out pre-operational surveillance.