[xtypo_dropcap]D[/xtypo_dropcap]UBAI, United Arab Emirates—The terrorist group al-Qaeda appears to be launching an English-language propaganda magazine, called Inspire, in a bid to attract new recruits in the Western world, say analysts.
The contents of the magazine that has terrorist-watchers concerned, include one article titled, “Make a Bomb in the Kitchen of Your Mom.”
Another article purports to be a translation of a message from Osama Bin Laden on the issue of “how to save the earth.”
According to SITE Intelligence Group, who obtained a copy of the magazine, the launch was somewhat inauspicious since all but three of the 67 pages were garbled with computer code.
The launch of the publication marks a shift in strategy by al-Qaeda, who have traditionally only posted propaganda material in Arabic.
Bruce Riedel, a Brookings Institution scholar and former CIA officer, believes the terrorist group is casting its net wide in search of new recruits.
“[It] is clearly intended for the aspiring jihadist in the U.S. or U.K. who may be the next Fort Hood murderer or Times Square bomber,” he told Associated Press.
“The trend we’ve seen in the last year and a half is less global terrorism and much more homegrown domestic terrorism within Muslim communities.”
Anwar al-Awlaki, a U.S. born cleric now living in Yemen, is believed to be behind the publication.
U.S. officials believe the 39-year-old inspired three of the 9/11 bombers and the perpetrator of the Fort Hood massacre last year.
Al-Awlaki authored one article, which according to the contents was said to be “a detailed yet short, easy-to-read manual on how to make a bomb using ingredients found in a kitchen.”
Al-Awlaki was also said to be behind another article titled, “May Our Souls be Sacrificed for You.”
The magazine also contains writings purportedly by Bin Laden, which some skeptics say is highly unlikely given the lack of formal links between the terrorist leader and the Yemen branch of al-Qaeda.
Analysts say that the PDF may have contained a virus, leading some to speculate that the file was a hoax distributed by pranksters, reported the Atlantic.
Leah Farrall, an expert on al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula, told the Atlantic that although there were reasons to doubt the validity of parts of the publication—it would be wrong to rule out al-Qaeda involvement altogether.
“The make a bomb in the kitchen of your mum is not by Awlaki,” she was quoted as saying. “It may be an effort to play on an old series of manuals released a few years back on how to build IED’s from materials in your home.
“Many readers would be familiar with these manuals since some sections have been translated into English before. So that by itself is not really enough to bring into question the authenticity of the document.”
Using Internet propaganda, al-Qaeda has previously been able to attract new Western-born recruits.
A court heard last year how Bryant Neal Vinas and Najibullah Zazi were radicalized in New York and traveled to Pakistan to join al-Qaeda in its fight against the United States.
News of the magazine was revealed by Michael Leiter, director of the National Counterterrorism Center, at a security forum, reported Fox News.
The contents of the magazine that has terrorist-watchers concerned, include one article titled, “Make a Bomb in the Kitchen of Your Mom.”
Another article purports to be a translation of a message from Osama Bin Laden on the issue of “how to save the earth.”
According to SITE Intelligence Group, who obtained a copy of the magazine, the launch was somewhat inauspicious since all but three of the 67 pages were garbled with computer code.
The launch of the publication marks a shift in strategy by al-Qaeda, who have traditionally only posted propaganda material in Arabic.
Bruce Riedel, a Brookings Institution scholar and former CIA officer, believes the terrorist group is casting its net wide in search of new recruits.
“[It] is clearly intended for the aspiring jihadist in the U.S. or U.K. who may be the next Fort Hood murderer or Times Square bomber,” he told Associated Press.
“The trend we’ve seen in the last year and a half is less global terrorism and much more homegrown domestic terrorism within Muslim communities.”
Anwar al-Awlaki, a U.S. born cleric now living in Yemen, is believed to be behind the publication.
U.S. officials believe the 39-year-old inspired three of the 9/11 bombers and the perpetrator of the Fort Hood massacre last year.
Al-Awlaki authored one article, which according to the contents was said to be “a detailed yet short, easy-to-read manual on how to make a bomb using ingredients found in a kitchen.”
Al-Awlaki was also said to be behind another article titled, “May Our Souls be Sacrificed for You.”
The magazine also contains writings purportedly by Bin Laden, which some skeptics say is highly unlikely given the lack of formal links between the terrorist leader and the Yemen branch of al-Qaeda.
Analysts say that the PDF may have contained a virus, leading some to speculate that the file was a hoax distributed by pranksters, reported the Atlantic.
Leah Farrall, an expert on al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula, told the Atlantic that although there were reasons to doubt the validity of parts of the publication—it would be wrong to rule out al-Qaeda involvement altogether.
“The make a bomb in the kitchen of your mum is not by Awlaki,” she was quoted as saying. “It may be an effort to play on an old series of manuals released a few years back on how to build IED’s from materials in your home.
“Many readers would be familiar with these manuals since some sections have been translated into English before. So that by itself is not really enough to bring into question the authenticity of the document.”
Using Internet propaganda, al-Qaeda has previously been able to attract new Western-born recruits.
A court heard last year how Bryant Neal Vinas and Najibullah Zazi were radicalized in New York and traveled to Pakistan to join al-Qaeda in its fight against the United States.
News of the magazine was revealed by Michael Leiter, director of the National Counterterrorism Center, at a security forum, reported Fox News.
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