The following are some of this week's reports from the MEMRI Jihad and Terrorism Threat Monitor (JTTM) Project, which translates and analyzes content from sources monitored around the clock, among them the most important jihadi websites and blogs. (To view these reports in full, you must be a paying member of the JTTM; for membership information, send an email to jttmsubs@memri.org with "Membership" in the subject line.)
Note to media and government: For a full copy of these reports, send an email with the title of the report in the subject line to media@memri.org. Please include your name, title, and organization in your email.
On April 28, 2017, a pro-ISIS twitter account using the name Abu Jandal Al-Somali posted Tweets threatening U.S. President Donald Trump and CNN anchor and correspondent Ana Cabrera and CNN analyst Kim Dozier.
A female American ISIS member from Alabama who was formerly active on Twitter and who went to Syria in November 2014, is once again active on social media.
On May 4, 2017 the ninth issue of ISIS's magazine Rumiyah was released. The article "Just Terror Tactics" suggests numerous ways to kill Westerners. In order to purchase a firearm in the U.S., the article recommends going to gun shows or buying one online. In another section, it give tips on the best places to take hostages: "Ideal target locations for hostage-taking scenarios include night clubs, movie theaters, busy shopping malls and large stores, popular restaurants, concert halls, university campuses, public swimming pools, indoor ice skating rinks, and generally any busy enclosed area, as such an environment [that] allows for one to take control of the situation by rounding up the kuffar present inside and allows one to massacre them while using the building as a natural defense against any responding force attempting to enter and bring the operation to a quick halt." A subsection dedicated to luring targets suggests placing fake job or real estate ads on platforms such as Craigslist and eBay.
Exclusive: Pro-ISIS Telegram Group Urges Its British Members To Attack MPs
On May 1, 2017, a pro-ISIS Telegram group called upon its British members to attack Members of Parliament.
An article titled "The Open War with Europe," circulated April 23, 2017 by the pro-ISIS website Da'wat Al-Haq, stated that the April 20, 2017 attack on the Champs-Élysées in Paris was part of a deliberate ISIS strategy aimed at bringing the fight to France and to other European countries.
ISIS Supporters On Telegram Renew Call To Carry Out Terror Attacks In UK
On May 1, 2017, the pro-ISIS Telegram group which is part of an ongoing ISIS media campaign to recruit "lone wolf" terrorists in the West, re-posted lists of potential targets in the UK. The group posted links to various lists taken from Wikipedia and from tourist information websites, such as lists of shopping centers, police stations, Jewish centers, airports, tourist attractions, government buildings, etc. The post was illustrated with pictures of policemen standing guard.
In an interview published by Al-Malahem, the media arm of Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP) on May 1, 2017, the group's leader, Qasim Al-Rimi, claimed that the U.S. commando raids in Yemen had been unsuccessful, and provided tips to tribesmen to counter future attacks.
On May 2, 2017, Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP) released Part 7 of its "Repulsion of Aggression" video series, which documents the group's operations against its various enemies in Yemen. This most recent video documents the compound attack against a government building complex in the southern province of Lahj on March 27, 2017. The complex, according to AQAP, was used by the UAE-backed Security Belt forces and Yemeni anti-terrorism forces, and has had a prison in it as well.
Albanian Female ISIS Member Posts Photos From Mosul On Instagram
An Albanian female ISIS member on Instagram shares snapshots of her life in Mosul. She has had this Instagram account since October 2016. She follows several other female ISIS members residing in the Islamic State, the American.
Writer Claiming To Be Brazilian Jihadi In Yemen Expresses Desire To Carry Out Attack In America
On April 21, 2017, a writer who says he is a Brazilian jihadi in Yemen posted a note titled "The desire of a mujahid."
Member Of Pro-ISIS Telegram Chat Group Warns Of FBI Infiltration
On April 30, 2017, members of pro-Islamic State (ISIS) chat groups on Telegram posted a warning to fellow members regarding an FBI agent who had allegedly infiltrated pro-ISIS groups.
On May 4, 2017, Al-Naba', the weekly newspaper of the Islamic State (ISIS), published an interview in which the Emir of the "Soldiers of the Caliphate" in Egypt threatened to target the Christians in Egypt unless they convert to Islam or pay jizya.
ISIS Claims It Killed US Soldiers In Attack Near US Embassy In Kabul
ISIS's news agency A'maq reports, citing "a security source," that an ISIS suicide bomber detonated the car bomb that exploded today (May 3, 2017) near the US embassy in Kabul, Afghanistan, and that eight US soldiers were killed in the attack. The report also included a photo of the suicide bomber (see below).
ISIS A'maq New Agency: ISIS Downed U.S. Spy Drone Near Tabqa, Syria
On April 29, 2017, ISIS's news agency A'maq reported that ISIS fighters had downed a U.S. spy drone near Tabqa in western Rif Al-Raqqa, and released a 19-seconds video allegedly showing the drone.
On April 27, 2017, Al-Naba', an Islamic State (ISIS) weekly newspaper, published in its 78th issue an interview in which a military source from Mosul, Iraq claimed that ISIS fighters had used Strela missiles to down an M28 Russian aircraft, known as the "Night Hunter."
On May 1, 2017, the Nasher News Agency, a media group affiliated with the Islamic State (ISIS), published a statement calling on the group's supporters to kill "evil" scholars, journalists associated with the international military coalition, and "those who call for strife" everywhere.
Pro-ISIS Group Distributes Want Ad For Media Activists
The Rad' Al-Sahawat Foundation, a pro-Islamic State (ISIS) media group, published a recruitment poster inviting media activists to join its ranks. According to the poster, the media group, which distributes material on Facebook, Twitter, and Telegram, is seeking the following volunteers:
- Graphic designers for infographics, motion graphics and banners
- Video production – sound and video editors, cameramen
On May 3, 2017, the pro-Islamic State (ISIS) Telegram channel Exclamation posted several photos of individuals it identified as employees of a U.S. government contractor company in Iraq.
Taliban Announces Preparations For 'Operation Mansouri' Spring Offensive
On April 28, 2017, the Taliban announced, on its English-language website, its plans for its upcoming annual spring offensive, Operation Mansouri. The announcement explains that the name of the offensive commemorates the late Mullah Akhtar Muhammad Mansour, who, it says, helped the mujahideen achieve numerous victories. Mullah Akhtar was a Taliban leader who wielded a lot of power; in addition to heading the leadership council, he was the final authority on political, religious, and military affairs. According to the statement, this year's spring offensive differs from previous ones in that it will be conducted "with a twin-tracked political and military approach."
