West Point CTC Sentinel: "A Beacon for Extremists: The Ansar al-Mujahideen Web Forum"
By Evan Kohlmann
The Counter Terrorism Center at West Point has released the February 2010 edition of the "Sentinel" Journal, featuring a new paper that I have written on the subject of the Ansar al-Mujahideen web forum, and the linked problem of English-speaking jihadists on the Internet. An excerpt from the paper:
"During the last decade, a virtual revolution has quietly taken place in the world of international terrorism. The tradition hubs of logistical activity--radical mosques, bookstores, and guesthouses--have been strictly monitored by law enforcement and intelligence agencies. As a result, in a strategy pioneered by eager cyber-savvy youth such as London resident Younis Tsouli (known as 'Irhaby 007'), aspiring terrorists have taken to the Internet in force, employing jihadist-themed social networking forums as a new base for propaganda, communications, and even recruitment. It was only in retrospect, years after this phenomenon began, that governments recognized the degree to which al-Qa'ida's leadership was aware of the existence of these social networking forums--and the extent of their interest in using them to harness the power of the web. Although official scrutiny initially focused on Arabic-language websites with clear connections to al-Qa'ida, recent events have forced a reappraisal of this relatively limited approach... It is increasingly second and third-tier extremist social networking forums managed by unaffiliated fringe activists--many of them offering dedicated English-language chat rooms--that appear to play pivotal roles in the indoctrination and radicalization of some of today's most notorious aspiring terrorists. This is a significant shift that has yet to be fully understood, as it could herald in a new generation of English-speaking or Westernized violent extremists."
The paper
can be downloaded from the West Point CTC website.
Update (2/26/10 - 9:30am): I neglected to note that the latest Sentinel issue is not yet available on the CTC website. It should be available online shortly.
