Online Jihadis Disseminate Practical Guide For Lone Wolves: 'How To Carry Out Effective Attacks Against The Enemy'; Including Using TOR and VPN

On November 30, 2015, a user on the pro-ISIS jihadi forum Shumoukh Al-Islam posted an article titled "To Lone Wolves - Increase Your Strikes Against Them" by one Anjad Al-Baghdadi, encouraging Muslims everywhere to attack the enemies of Islam. The author states that he felt a duty to share some of his own experience, amassed during many years of engaging in jihad, with regards to the certain and effective execution of attacks. He wrote: "What is the point of firing dozens, or even hundreds of bullets and killing just one man and wounding one more?! And this is a best case scenario. Therefore, I wanted to share with our supporting brothers and 'Lone Wolves' all the knowledge that Allah has bestowed on us and the lessons we learned from our experience in jihad, as well as the sacrifices we have made on the path of Allah."

The first part of the article provides advice and recommendations for lone wolves or small cells. They include:

1. First, every mujahid who decides to carry out an attack should deepen his faith and increase his prayers to Allah.

2. Be sure to pray the nightly prayer the night before the attack.

3. The attacker must fully place his trust in Allah.

4. Prepare for the attack both physically and mentally.

5. The attack must be meticulously planned: Choose the target and study it well. Also, the article adds, even if closely examining the target is exhausting, it will pay off greatly.

6. Study the paths and streets leading to the target, and, more importantly, pay attention to escape and exfiltration routes after carrying out the attack.

7. Choose a driver who is daring and skilled. He also must be able to maneuver, since following the attack and during the getaway, his role becomes crucial.

8. Choose a car that can be fitted with a secret weapons compartment, in case you will need to pass through checkpoints or inspection posts. The article adds that if the attacker is willing to sacrifice his life, he needs no secret compartment in the car, because he is going to openly storm the enemy by running him over, shooting him, and slitting throats.

In the second part of the article, the writer provides a series of recommendations for attacks carried out by a cell of four to five, or more, fighters. It states that the cell should use three vehicles, or at the very least two. It says:

1. In the first vehicle, the spearhead, will be a driver and a helper. This vehicle will carry out advance reconnaissance and scan the roads leading to the target. The cell in the reconnaissance vehicle will report on any surprise checkpoints or military presence in the area.

2. In the second vehicle will be the attackers, preferably in a group of three - one driver and two armed fighters.

3. The third vehicle will provide security. It will travel behind the perpetrators' vehicle and will be tasked with checking for anyone following the perpetrators. It will also be used for exfiltration and getaway or as a backup vehicle in case the second vehicle is damaged or disabled.

4. Communication between the vehicles should be simultaneous and among all the cell members, such as by means of Motorola walkie-talkies, advanced phones, or voice apps. Real names and addresses should not be used, and code words should be chosen in advance - and they should aim to confuse the enemy if it is monitoring the communication. He also recommends using TOR or VPN secure applications for voice chat. After use, the writer recommends to erase all data that could reveal the identities of the perpetrators. The cell should use older phones that are not equipped with GPS so that their position cannot be triangulated.

5. Extra care should be taken in areas with security cameras. Attackers should assume that if the target is an officer, then his home and workplace will be covered by security cameras, and therefore they must find a place along his route that is not under surveillance.

The full text of this report is available to MEMRI's Jihad and Terrorism Threat Monitor Subscribers.

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