Pro-Al-Qaeda Media Group Praises Stabbings In Australia, France; Warns 'Crusader Peoples' Against Defaming Islam

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On April 17, 2024, the pro-Al-Qaeda Jaysh Al-Malahem Al-Electroni [Electronic Army of Epic Battles] media outlet published[1] a one-page statement in Arabic praising the April 15 stabbing of Bishop Mar Mari Emmanuel at a church in Wakeley, in Sydney, Australia by a 15-year-old[2], and the April 10 stabbing in Bordeaux, France, in which one person was killed and another injured[3]. No group has yet claimed responsibility for the attacks. This report reviews the statement.

Sydney Stabbing Is Retaliation For Bishop's Slandering Of Prophet Muhammad

The statement congratulates the Islamic ummah [nation] for the April 15 "victory" it was granted by Allah in the "lands of the Cross," describing the attack as a "new page of pride added to the pages of contemporary Islamic history," and the attacker as a "new hero joining the caravan of protectors of the religion of Allah and His messenger." Describing Bishop Mar Emmanuel as an "enemy of Allah," it claims that the attack came in response to his slandering of the Prophet Muhammad and Islam. Mentioning that the "filthy bishop" was not killed, the writer hopes that his staying alive will constitute a "double deterrence" and "lesson to his peers," adding that the attacker seriously injured three "Crusaders" who came to the victim's aid.

Praise For Bordeaux Stabbing

Describing France as the "mother of malice," the statement praises the April 10 stabbing in Bordeaux, asking Allah to accept its perpetrator as a martyr and gather him with the "prophets and the righteous ones."

Threats To "Crusader Peoples"

Addressing the "Crusader peoples" and "those who decry our sanctities," the writer warns that the situation of the Islamic ummah today is different than several decades ago, adding that over the last two weeks, the world has seen the "freedom of action by the heroes of Islam" in Indonesia, France, and Australia. He threatens: "Do not fool yourselves into thinking that your governments are capable of protecting you. The hands of mujahideen will get you sooner or later, so keep your tongues away from our sanctities, if you do not want to become a primary target for attacks by the soldiers of Islam."

The statement congratulates the "wolves of Islam" around the world, urging them to take no mercy on anyone who insults their sanctities, and inciting: "Behead them, tear out their entrails, and make them a sign for the worlds." It further congratulates the perpetrator of the Sydney stabbing, asking Allah to accept his jihad and relieve him of his "captivity."

On April 8, Jaysh Al-Malahem Al-Electroni published a statement praising the "blessed operations" which targeted KK Super Mart stores in Malaysia in late March 2024.[4] The fourth issue of the group's Wolves of Manhattan magazine, published on March 29, included an article instructing readers to kill "Crusaders" by creating fake car accidents.[5]