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Several Islamic State (ISIS) operatives who are incarcerated in U.S. federal prisons appear to maintain profiles on a website that purports to enable them to connect with outsiders and receive donations. Chatter in pro-ISIS chat rooms about the website may raise security concerns for the facilities where the operatives are held. The website provides addresses and GPS-coordinated satellite imagery of the facilities at which the inmates are held.
The website affords incarcerated individuals an opportunity to claim their criminal records by providing photos verifying their identity and submitting text entries. According to information provided on the website, these entries may include additional contact information, links to other websites, personal writings, information about their crimes, and requests for legal assistance and friendships.
Once they are registered, the website generates a profile based on the incarcerated individual's criminal record, which includes: a profile photo and name; a Federal Bureau of Prisons identification number; demographic information; the district of arrest; a mailing address; the location of detainment (including GPS coordinates); contact information for the federal detention facility; a text entry that generally includes biographical information submitted by the incarcerated individual; methods of additional contact; and a fund transfer option that gives information on MoneyGram, mail, and Western Union transfers to the prisoner's commissary account.
At least two incarcerated ISIS operatives maintain registered profiles on the website, suggesting the accounts were generated by the operatives themselves. A third ISIS operative has an unregistered account with almost no identifying information; it is unlikely that he generated the profile himself.
Online ISIS supporters have raised awareness about ISIS operatives' profiles on the website, raising potential security risks. On June 6, 2022, a user in an ISIS-operated chat server posted an enigmatic message that linked to the website. Other users expressed interest in the user's post, commenting for additional information about the website and asking whether the operatives could be contacted.
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