Introduction
Vitally important to Al-Qaeda and its Western sympathizers and recruits, and aimed at audiences both Muslim and non-Muslim, the Ansar Al-Mujahideen English Forum (AMEF), ansar1.info, is considered the primary English-language jihadi forum, disseminating the majority of Al-Qaeda's propaganda for the English-speaking West. It is currently hosted by Softronics in Switzerland, and registered to Mr. Ali Mahmoud, Postbus 291, Brussels, Belgium, phone +32-6293343078, alim555555@gmail.com.
AMEF was established in 2008 in Arabic, and later launched multiple language pages, including English; it has thousands of threads and individual messages.
Problems that have plagued most jihadi websites, such as interruptions in provision of website services and/or removal, have largely not affected AMEF. Although the host and location are known, AMEF maintains a steady online presence, enabling it to continue operating as a tool of Al-Qaeda in the West even though it has been at the center of multiple terrorism cases.
On December 27, 2011, AMEF, which had until then been partially closed to public readership, opened registration for new members and released a statement warning readers of "traps" laid by "the infidels" for "would-be Jihadis," to apprehend them "before they are actually able to involve themselves in any serious activity... before they get in contact with true Mujahideen." It noted, "Not only does this occur in Masjids [mosques], but also online. Our beloved forum was used more than once in this manner..." (As of January 4, 2012, registration had closed.)
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