The recent successes of the Islamic State (ISIS) in Libya have caused euphoria among the organization’s supporters[1] and have triggered a wave of threats against Western States warning them not to intervene in that country. On February 22, 2015, an ISIS supporter calling himself Abu Irhim Al-Libi, apparently writing from Libya, posted on the Jihadi Media Platform a long message threatening Italy. He writes that if Italy is “dragged” after French President Francois Hollande and joins him in a military intervention against ISIS in Libya, ISIS will drown its soldiers in the Libyan quagmire. He also threatens that ISIS will cut off the supply of Libyan gas to Italy, and that sooner or later its fighters will reach Rome.[2]
The following are excerpts from his message:
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Illustration accompanying Abu Irhim's message
“Praise Allah for letting us see this day, on which we witness the reawakening of our ummah. I still remember the day I read the announcement about the establishment of the Caliphate in Iraq and the list of its ministers and commanders. I was overjoyed; I wished [the Caliphate] nothing but good and prayed to Allah to protect and strengthen it. And today we are seeing the fruits of this blessed state: a Caliphate governed in the way of the Prophet that delivers blows to the Crusader leaders and scatters the hypocrite apostates in every direction. Allah will [surely] bestow his bounty upon this Caliphate, but the Muslims must still support and defend it.
“After seeing the Islamic State’s [video called] “Message Signed in Blood” [documenting the beheading of the Coptic hostages],[3] I feel that the Islamic State’s message to the Crusaders is ‘we are knocking on the gates of Rome.’ The body language of the mujahideen [in the video] seemed to say: ‘We are slitting the throats of the Crusaders into the sea of Tripoli, but our eyes are lifted towards the bastions of Rome.’ Indeed, our eyes are following you [Italy]... and our fingers are on the trigger. Know that we are coming, o Rome. There is nothing between us and you except this narrow sea. Our Prophet has promised us that we shall conquer Rome, with Allah’s help. So now you can only wait for your inevitable fate. And lo, multitudes are gathering from across the world. The Islamic State is illuminating Libya, and its light is pointing towards Algeria, Tunisia, Egypt, Sudan, Chad, Morocco, Mauritania, and all the stolen Muslim lands. The Islamic State is restoring the glory of old and is redrawing the map of the world.”
Abu Irhim Al-Libi continues: “The gas that warms you and the oil that fuels your factories and vehicles is in the soil of the Caliphate in Libya!! [So] beware of making any foolish move that will set the entire Mediterranean ablaze. Beware the fool called [Francois] Hollande, lest he deceive you and drag you into a war on our soil. Do not be dragged, Italy, for the soil of Libya is quicksand and we shall drown you in its deserts, o worshippers of the Cross. You have already experienced the jihad [waged] by our forefathers. And if in the past we had Omar Mukhtar,[4] today we have thousands like him. Today’s foreign fighters are lions, and the local fighters are tough. We swear that we will rub your noses in the dirt, even if it takes a while... The Islamic State has returned to impose the jizya tax upon you, which you will pay in a state of humiliation...
“O Crusaders of Rome, your watchdogs, the apostate Arab leaders, will not avail you, for we shall uproot them. We swear that we will reach you sooner or later. Prepare for the worst. This is a message to [those] dogs and to all the Crusader leaders. We are coming to slaughter you!!”
The message is accompanied by a map showing the location of Libyan oil fields and of pipelines carrying oil from Libya to Sicily.
[1] Encouraged by these successes, ISIS activists have launched a recruitment media campaign, calling upon Muslims worldwide to fulfill the religious duty of hijra by coming to Libya and joining the organization’s ranks. See MEMRI JTTM report, “ISIS Recruitment Campaign On Twitter: Immigrate To Libya And Guarantee Your Place In The Gateway Of The Conquest Of Rome,” February 16, 2015.
[2] In the last two weeks, Abu Irhim Al-Libi also posted two other messages regarding the importance of Libya as a springboard to the ultimate conquest of southern Europe and of Rome. See MEMRI JTTM report, “Articles By ISIS Supporter: Libya Is ISIS's Strategic Gateway To Europe,” February 19, 2015.
[3] See MEMRI JTTM report, “Islamic State (ISIS) Video Features Beheading Of 21 Copts In Libya,” February 15, 2015.
[4] Omar Mukhtar led the resistance to Italian colonial rule in Libya in the early 20th century.
