Al Qaeda affiliate kidnaps priest in Syria: report
Reuters reports that a Jesuit priest has been kidnapped by the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL). In June, another priest was targeted by the Al Nusrah Front.
Tag Archives: Al Qaeda
Social Media Jihad: Ansar al Sharia Tunisia denies involvement in assassinations
In a statement released on its Facebook page and Twitter feed, Ansar al Sharia Tunisia denied any involvement in two high-profile assassinations this year. One day earlier, Tunisia’s interior minister accused Ansar al Sharia members and a longtime jihadist of being involved.
Social Media Jihad: Ansar al Sharia Tunisia honors slain AQAP leader
Ansar al Sharia Tunisia has released a DVD honoring Said al Shihri, who was killed in a US drone strike. The group has used social media to honor al Shihri before.
Ansar al Sharia Egypt in the Sinai
A group calling itself Ansar al Sharia Egypt has announced its formation in the Sinai and has threatened violence in the wake of recent events. It is not clear if the organization is truly a new front, or simply a covert part of an already established group with the same name.
Former ‘head’ of al Qaeda in Italy an ‘organizer’ of Ansar al Sharia rally
Agence France Presse interviewed Sami Ben Khemais Essid, describing him as one of the “organizers” of Ansar al Sharia Tunisia’s planned conference this weekend. Essid was formerly the “head” of al Qaeda’s operations in Italy, according to the US State Department.
Ansar al Sharia Tunisia member: ‘Rome shall be conquered’
In a video posted online on April 30, Sheik Kamel Zarouq, a member of Ansar al Sharia Tunisia, endorsed al Qaeda’s global jihad.
Social Media Jihad: Cheerleading al Qaeda’s new ‘Islamic State’
Jihadist groups, including the al Qaeda-linked Ansar al Sharia Tunisia, are cheering on the announcement that al Qaeda’s affiliates in Iraq and Syria are henceforth to be known as the “Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant.”
Social Media Jihad: John McCain visits Tunisia
In a Facebook posting, Ansar al Sharia Tunisia took issue with “Jewish” Senator John McCain’s visit to Tunisia this week. McCain met with prime minister Ali Larayedh, who has been in a war of words with Ansar al Sharia Tunisia’s leader.
Social Media Jihad: Soccer fanatics with a ‘jihadist mentality’
Members of an Egyptian ultras group market a t-shirt featuring Osama bin Laden and other jihadist leaders on Facebook to their fellow soccer fans. These same fans fly a flag with bin Laden’s face on it before and after soccer games.
Social Media Jihad: Drones over Tunisia?
Ansar al Sharia has alleged that American drones are flying overhead inside Tunisian territory. We have no independent information confirming the use of drones in Tunisia. The group is using the allegation as part of its propaganda campaign.
Social Media Jihad: Egyptian jihadist lionizes slain al Qaeda leader
Two Facebook posts contain messages from Ansar al Sharia Egypt leader Ahmed Ashush honoring slain al Qaeda leader Abu Yahya al Libi and praising Ansar al Sharia Tunisia. The statements were first published last year but were re-posted online in recent weeks.
Social Media Jihad: Mohammed al Zawahiri’s new Facebook page
Mohammed al Zawahiri, the younger brother of al Qaeda emir Ayman al Zawahiri, has launched his own Facebook page.
Magharebia: ‘Tunisian salafist[s] announce al-Qaeda support’
Magharebia reports that a Salafi jihadist leader in Tunisia has “officially announce(d)” his support for al Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb’s call for jihad.
ISAF: Oops, Afghan violence didn’t decrease in 2012
ISAF has corrected its earlier reporting on the level of violence in Afghanistan. ISAF had previously claimed that the number of enemy initiated attacks in Afghanistan had decreased by 7 percent in 2012, as compared to 2011. In reality, there was no change.
Egyptian involved in cross-border attack on Israel portrayed as al Qaeda ‘martyr’
An online banner advertising a video dedicated to Khalid Salah Abdul Hadi Jadullah, a Mujahideen Shura Council in the Environs of Jerusalem terrorist, portrays him as an al Qaeda martyr.
On the Ansar al Sharia Facebook pages
The Ansar al Sharia Facebook pages analyzed by The Long War Journal contain valuable information, in addition to bluster. Two Facebook pages we reported on have been taken down since our articles first appeared.
WaPo: Al Qaeda affiliate ‘directing the fight’ in Mali
According to an article in the Washington Post earlier this week, AQIM is leading the jihadist coalition in Mali.
The younger Zawahiri protests France’s ‘war against Islam’
Mohammed al Zawahiri, the younger brother of al Qaeda’s emir, helped stage a protest in front of the French embassy in Cairo today. The protesters denounced France’s intervention in Mali, saying the country was “at war against Islam.”
On Belmokhtar’s group: ‘They believe the West is one great Sodom and Gomorrah’
Robert Fowler, a Canadian diplomat who was kidnapped by Mokhtar Belmokhtar in 2008, considers Belmokhtar’s group to be ideologues. Fowler has also reportedly said that Belmokhtar was the “principal intermediary between AQIM and al Qaeda in Pakistan” at some point.
Osama bin Laden’s documents cited by Canadian intelligence
A recently declassified threat assessment authored by Canadian intelligence in April 2012 concludes that the al Qaeda network still leads the global jihad movement and remains the “primary threat.”
More on Ansar al Sharia in Morocco
Morocco’s interior minister said that an Ansar al Sharia cell in Morocco “was seeking to obtain financial and military support” from al Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM).
Report: Al Qaeda emir’s hand in Egypt and Syria
Die Welt, a German daily, has published an account that jibes with The Long War Journal’s reporting on the Sept. 11, 2012 terrorist attack in Benghazi.
Ansar al Sharia in Mali
A new Ansar al Sharia group has been established in Mali. According to press reports, the group’s leaders are “close to” the official spokesman for Ansar Dine.
Ansar al Sharia Morocco does not hide ‘sympathy’ for AQIM
According to a Moroccan press report, Ansar al Sharia Morocco does not hide its sympathy for AQIM, uses the same flag as other Ansar al Sharia chapters, and is suspected of recruiting jihadists to fight in Syria.
In Egypt, Ansar al Sharia Brigades posts hit list
An Egyptian group calling itself the Ansar al Sharia Brigades has reportedly posted a list of people to assassinate in the event that the Egyptian government collapses.
Brother of al Qaeda’s emir justifies 9/11
MEMRI has published excerpts of Al Jazeera’s interview with Mohamed al Zawahiri, the brother of al Qaeda’s emir. Mohamed al Zawahiri justified 9/11 and al Qaeda’s terrorism in general during the interview. An Egyptian military court acquitted him earlier this year.
Turkish fighters in the Islamic Jihad Union
Several Turks affiliated with the IJU have been killed while waging jihad in Afghanistan, and others have been arrested in foiled plots to carry out attacks against European and US targets in Europe.
Webster Commission gets 2004 Madrid train bombings wrong
The 2004 Madrid train bombings were not carried out by “lone actors” with no ties to al Qaeda’s international terrorist network, as an FBI commission recently claimed. The terrorists responsible had extensive ties to al Qaeda.
Panetta on Pakistan
Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta chastised Pakistan last week for its ongoing support for the Haqqani Network.
Spying on al Qaeda
Double agents, although uncommon, have played a significant role in the post-9/11 fight against terrorism. The double agent who broke up a recent al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP) plot is just the latest example.