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On October 16, 2023, Abd Al-Salem Jilani Meftah Lassoued, a 45-year-old Tunisian residing in Belgium illegally, carried out a shooting in Brussels, killing two and seriously injuring another. The next day, the Islamic State (ISIS) claimed responsibility for the attack.
After ISIS' official claim, many pro-ISIS media outlets released and shared posters celebrating the attack and eulogizing the attacker, while calling on Muslims to follow his path.
Attacking "Crusaders' Countries" Is Better Religiously Than Fighting Israel For Nationalistic Motives
In light of the war that broke out following the bloody October 7 attack by Hamas on Israeli towns and villages bordering the Gaza Strip, a pro-ISIS media outlet released a poster titled, "There Is a Difference Between the Two!" claiming that an attack in the "Crusaders'" countries, such as the "heroic" one recently carried out by Abd Al-Salam in Brussels, is better religiously than fighting Israel for nationalistic reasons, as there is a difference between "the ones who seek this world and the ones who seek the afterlife."
Random Killing And Horror Must Be Spread Throughout Europe
A pro-ISIS media outlet released a poster which claims that "the Crusader Europe" will not be deterred until it experiences the killing and massacres the Muslims have experienced "from a brutal enemy," adding that "random deaths and horror must spread in the heart of Europe. The crusader must feel that his life is in danger and that he has no security until the Muslims are safe." The poster calls on Muslims in the West to "light a fire upon them" and follow in the footsteps of the October 16 attacker Abd Al-Salam.
In addition, the same outlet shared a poster that includes a quote by slain ISIS spokesman Abu Muhammad Al-Adnani: "The monotheist is a one-man army." The poster claims that Abd Al-Salam—and other mujahideen before him— embodied Al-Adnani's quote by carrying out an attack in the West, asserting that "the muwahid with his knife and his weapon terrorizes an entire country and its security agencies." Concluding that "without these operations, the Crusaders will remain safe, [they will continue] killing and not being killed," the poster includes a rifle and a knife covered in blood along with the attacker's photo.
Unbelievers Must Be Slaughtered Like Sheep
Another pro-ISIS outlet released two posters concerning the attack. The first, titled "Brussels Operation," calls on Muslims to shed the blood of unbelievers, "slaughter them like sheep and kill them like beetles and flies."
The second poster, titled "Do More," calls on Muslims to prepare and strengthen themselves in order to launch more attacks, "cut off heads, suppress souls and do more."
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