Six tactics of terrorism: Bombing Hijacking Arson Assault Kidnapping Hostage taking

Terrorism includes threats from weapons of mass destruction and virtual attacks through computer systems

Jenkins: Six tactics can be enhanced by force multipliers

Force multipliers increase striking power without increasing the strength of a unit

Force multipliers giving terrorists more striking power include: Technology Media coverage Perception/Interpretation of terrorist events Religious fanaticism

Governments and terrorists benefit from media portrayal of terrorist activity

Everyone involved in terrorist conflict tries to manipulate images of terrorist activities Continuous reporting amplifies the aura

of small groups Striking power of the group is magnified

Most terrorist groups have objectives beyond publicity Groups want recognition▪ Causes▪ Grievances▪ Demands

New forms of communication intensify spread of information Terrorist groups will attempt to portray

respectability in all forms of media

Media victories are crucial for terrorism How battles are reported as important as

battlefield combat Neither side wants to be portrayed as

aggressor Media primary tool for demonizing the enemy▪ One side presents its own casualties in compassionate

and horrific terms▪ Wounded and killed on other side are described as

statistics

Drama lessens when peace efforts are reported by news agencies

All forms of media can be used to multiply force

Internet is gaining attention of security forces Online communication brings measure of

freedom when media is heavily controlled Emerging as a major source of information

Movies assist terrorism and distort issues Create popular images of propaganda Responsible for strong emotional projections

It's no surprise that terrorists continue to use the Media and Internet to communicate and recruit members, and exposing their methods may help to curb the violence and destruction caused by their actions.

The current battle to combat transnational Islamic terrorism has entered a new battlefield, the Mass Media!

The hearts and minds battle has these extremists competing for 1.3 Million moderate Muslims attention.

The message is sent to anyone in the form of media to preach their messages

Propaganda is being disseminated within a multitude of venues

InternetRadioCell phonesTelevision

DVD CD VHS

The use of the media has multiplied the supporters of terrorist orgs over the last several years!

Media is used to promote and disseminate propaganda

Influence perception of both Enemy Troops / Civilians The Terrorist Orgs constituency

Goal “To persuade a person to adopt the

promoted ideology and beliefs as their own in order to alter the course of their actions”

The technique has two objectives Successful reach the target population

with your own propaganda Mitigate the success of your enemies

propaganda

PROMOTE SELF

STOP OPPONENTS

PROMOTE SELF

STOP OPPONENTS

Pre-Package recruitment videos

Intimidation andTargeted killingsKidnappings ofjournalists

Create the well funded Al-Hurra network

Bomb Al-JazeeraAfghanistanIraq

Leverage sympathyLook for supporters

Broadcast their executions via the media

Report fair and impartial news on region

Press Qatar for sale of Al-Jazeer

Promote Al-Jazeera

Video tapedBroadcast in mediaCD, DVD, Internet,etc

Seen in 22 countries in the Middle East

TARGET AUDIENCE : ARAB NATIONSISLAMIC

TERRORISTSTHE WEST

“No other groups has been as talented as al-Qaeda at capturing the media spotlight following an attack and in order to spread their ideology”.

OBL and Ayman Al-Zawahiri have stated the importance of reaching and influencing the generous pool of moderate Muslims they see as essential for the creating of the caliphate state!

The only element needed to gain broadcast media exposure is the ability to transfer the actual footage to a satellite news channel

Station determines the footage as worthy enough to captivate audience

Terrorist orgs combine their ability to manipulate 21 century technology with 12th century fanaticism to spread their message(s)

“ We are in a battle, and more than half of this battle is taking place in the battlefield of the media….[We] are in a battle for the hearts and minds of our umma.”

-Ayan al-Zawahiri, July 2005

Media has strategic valueMass productions increase

perceptions in the communityRadical messages can be viewed

CD DVD Internet

The Summer prior to 9/11 al-Qaeda produced a recruiting video 2 hrs in length

Circulate throughout the Middle East The footage included

Infidels attacking Muslims Starving Muslim children US Crusaders Arab Holy lands

Why is this footage so powerful?

Easy distribution to the massesEasy copying, viewing, uploading,

sharing, used for indoctrinationBombing of USS Cole showcased the

Tech skills of al-QaedaDVD jacket with color sleeveLiner notes Professional appearance

Analysis of the Problem It has become fashionably cool to be

considered a jihadist among many young Muslims today.

As with many urban counter cultures militant Islam represents a new way of asserting oneself.

Expressing ones identity and dissatisfaction with a power of elite (real or imagined)

Pro Jihadi websites are a powerful vehicle in: Sustaining pro-jihadi subcultures in the West Drawing new recruits into al-Qaida

Al-Qaida can attribute their success to their media campaigns.

The Phenomenal growth of the org on the Internet can be attributed to their ability to reach the masses.

4 Elements to their mission are: Serve as a University of Jihad

Training camps Training Material

An Investment Company Specializing in “Promising Terrorism

projects” Fighting Vanguard

Acts of violence should inspire other jihadist to follow suit

The fourth element is the: Formation and Expansion of

Jihadi Media Outlets Possible one of the Most brilliant

campaigns and the largest presence on the web.

If this is a War of Ideas Al-Qaida is forming a platform to fuel a large community of online jihadi sympathizers

One example is al-Nida, or Markaz al-buhuth wa al-dirasat al-islamiyyah, al-Qaeda’s unofficial homepage until 2003.

Produced by Yusuf al-Ayiri. It was later renamed the Sawt al-Jihad

website and became the official website of Al-Qaida in the Arab Peninsula(QAP)

This website also produced the famous Sawt al-Jihad and the Mu‘askar al-Battar journals.).

Another example is the website of The Ansar l-Sunna Army.

Several reasons terrorists find computer technology attractive Allow terrorists groups to remain connected Provide covert discussions Provide anonymity

Computer networks are less expensive and work intensive than infrastructures necessary to maintain terrorist groups

Terrorism is influenced by technology Western society requires information and

the flow of information to function Cyberterrorists threaten to interrupt or confuse

the flow of information Cyberterrorism refers to use of computers

to attack technological targets of physical attacks on computer networks

Targets for cyberterrorism Computers Computer networks Information storage and retrieval systems

Media Members learn how to monitor the media so they can determine the effectiveness of their terrorist acts

Terrorists do not reveal details of a planned attack online. They rarely discuss targets in detail.

Jihadi sympathizers on the forum sometimes call for attacks on specific targets, but mostly chatter.

Forums are generally not used to exercise command and control.

E-mail communication between members of groups in preparing for attacks, for instance 9/11.

Data Mining –reconnaissance and gathering of information on potential

Jihadi strategic studies present broad guidelines for how to wage the overall struggle

The Madrid document: Recommended targeting Spain ahead of the March 2004 elections –to result in withdrawal of Spanish forces from Iraq

Strategic studies and tactical handbooks are produced for recruitment purposes: aiming to facilitate the transit from a sympathizer to a full-fledged jihadist Jihadi

The message communicated depends on the target audience:

Enemy audience: Psychological warfare and humiliation of the enemy. Explain the reasoning behind the attacks. Communicate fear.

Internal audience (current supporters): Incitement and encouragement, pride and success. Trying to create a kind of theoretical and ideological unity.

The Muslim World (potential supporters): Mobilization and legitimization of attacks.

The international public: The Jihadi (media) version of current events. Justification of the violence through demonization and de-legitimization of the enemy.

The threat of cyberterrorism at the present stage seems to be overestimated.

Jihadi “hactivism” appears to be more defensive than offensive in character. Focus on protecting websites, ensuring anonymity, bypassing government censorship, finding new storage sites etc.

Coordinated attacks on Internet sites that have “humiliated Islam”.

al-jinan.org created to coordinate and organize “electronic jihad” against websites that insult Islam and Islamic figures.

•Dissemination of ideological-political literature, theological literature, fatwas, sermons -the main strategy in the recruitment drive

•The Internet has become a virtual library of jihadi material: Minbaral-Tawhidwaal-Jihad

•Global Islamic Media Front: “Media War that goes on parallel with the military war”

•Alternative channel of communication: Battle for hearts & Minds of non-Arabic speaking Muslims in Asia and Europe

Rarely overt fund raising on the Jihadi forums and websites, but it has been observed

Internet propaganda as an indirect means of fund raising:

Raise awareness Highlight specific groups Documents effective spending Ansaral-Islam published details about

the group’s budget in 2003 online

“ ..in order to join the great training camps you don’t have to travel to other lands. Alone, in your home or with a group of your brothers, you too can begin to execute the training program. You can all join the Al-BattarTraining Camp.”

Al-BattarMagazine, January2004

Library of Instruction Videos:Currently around 20 videos available

Discussion forums dedicated to ”training and preparation”

the al-Firdaws forum for equipment and preparation

Most frequent topics:

Dramatic widening of the audience. Vastly increasing the availability of jihadi material on the Internet to people who could not have accessed this material without the Internet.

Decreasing the distance between the jihadi groups and their potential supporters abroad.

Fostering a global virtual jihadi community. Substituting the Afghan camps –Internet as meeting

place and training ground.

Strengthening the trend towards decentralization: autonomous jihadi cells operating without direct al-Qaida command-and-control.

The Internet is utilized less for operative purposes or for cyberterrorism.

The Internet is used less as a direct means of recruitment, and more as a facilitator for the recruitment processes.

The Internet is used to mobilize passive Muslims. This is an important part of the audio and written material issued by the leadership of al-Qaida on the Internet.

Recruiters may distribute material on CD-ROMs filled with material downloaded from the Internet in order to convert or radicalize potential members.

Videos glorifying “martyrs” and suicide bombers intended as recruitment.

The Internet is used to create a kind of virtual community of fellow jihadists on the Internet.

Jihadi websites gives instructions on how to become a mujahideen, how to travel to Iraq, how to create a jihadi cell etc.

al-Ma’sadawebsite had an entire section called ”Welcome to Mujahidin”, which was dedicated to the recruitment of new volunteers and facilitating their enlistment into the ranks.

Possible recruitment on Paltalk.

PROS

Facilitates bottom-up recruitment through the proliferation of Jihadi material.

Vastly increasing the pool of potential recruits.

Patterns of bottom-up recruitment reflecting the decentralized character of jihadism–scattered cells operating on their own, but following general guidelines laid out by the leadership. These guidelines communicated via the Internet.

Creating a virtual community

CONS

Lack of physical contact and face-to-face encounter –Network of friends and relatives important in the process of joining terrorist groups.

The anonymity of the Internet and the presence of foreign intelligence on the jihadi websites makes it difficult to recruit online

Several incidents of Muslims who were radicalized after reading jihadi material on the Web and then decided to become terrorists.

Images of humiliation of Muslims (Abu Ghraib, Guantanamo) and images of wounded/killed Muslims (especially children) have a very radicalizing effect.

There exists vast material of pictures like these on the Internet.

The availability of militant sermons, gruesome pictures facilitating the radicalization processes.

Mythological presentation of the fight against the ”Crusaders”: Fallujah.

Atrocities committed by the West radicalize, but atrocities committed by the terrorists sometimes lead to reduced support in the Muslim world and backfire instead. Some issues are controversial within the jihadi community. Examples: Killing of civilians and the killings of other

Muslims. Abu Musabal-Zarqawi criticized for his bloody

campaign against the shia-Muslims and for targeting innocent Muslims in the Amman attack.

Zarqawi also received some criticism for his gruesome beheadings.

The Beslan incident where Chechen terrorists took an entire school hostage.

What makes a person vulnerable to radicalization over the Internet

The Internet alone can not explain why some choose to become terrorists. It is a huge step from being a Internet surfer to being a violent activist.

The Internet is used to channel frustrations in a specific direction.

The reasons for the frustrations are complex and individualized, but many Muslims in Europe complain about bad treatment of Muslims after 9/11.

Will the proliferation of online groups or virtual jihadi communities translate into terrorism?

Several examples of people who have gone from virtual to real jihadists: Irhabi007: Transformation from jihadism

online to actual terror plots Two forum administrators left recently to join

the Jihad in Iraq Three Swedes met online at a jihadi forum.

One involved in terror activities

Resilience and redundancy: It is very difficult to close down all the websites that disseminate jihadi material.

The Internet is a double-edged sword: Online jihadists leave clues and traces that can be used to track them down.

The democratic character of the Internet makes the Jihadi websites a potential channel for venting criticism and dissension within the Jihadi community.

•Virtual disputes on the Internet: Hizbollah, the Muhammad Caricatures, killing of civilians, personal disputes between individuals.

•Government monitoring and manipulation of the jihadi websites makes them less reliable Accusations of infiltration can reduce the impact of a jihadi forum

Just at WE are Watching them

They are Watching US!

Think OPSEC

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