Disturbing Twist in al-Qaeda’s Radicalization Initiative

 Washington, Jul 12 - U.S. Rep. Pete Hoekstra, R-Mich., the top Republican on the House Intelligence Committee, said the Sunday-night publication of the full version of “Inspire,” the English-language magazine of al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP), represents the latest evolution in the way that radical jihadists recruit people to join their twisted cause.

“The magazine is a virtual how-to guide for becoming a terrorist,” Hoekstra said. “People don’t have to travel overseas or know Arabic to join the radical jihadist movement—they can become a virtual member of al-Qaeda and learn how to carry out terrorist attacks from the comfort of their homes. Al-Qaeda has shifted its focus from committed jihadists going through training camps, to literally trying to inspire attackers globally to act locally, in their communities.”

An initial attempt to publish “Inspire” by AQAP led viewers to a corrupted file for which only the table of contents could be viewed. Last night, a link went live with the full document, which contains pages that threaten the lives of Americans, such as Molly Norris, and foreigners, including Salman Rushdie, Kurt Westergaard, Ayaan Hirsi Ali and Gert Wilders, among others. It also contains a step-by-step guide on how to “Make a Bomb in the Kitchen of Your Mom” and how to send and receive encrypted messages.

The magazine features Osama bin Laden on global warming and sermon-like statements from al-Qaeda top deputy Ayman al-Zawahiri, AQAP chief Abu Shair, and American-born terrorist-cleric Anwar al-Awlaki.

“This is an unfortunately well-done magazine that is proof positive that al-Qaeda and its affiliates have launched a direct appeal for Americans to launch small-scale attacks here at home,” Hoekstra said. “It provides al-Qaeda’s warped rationale to carry out the attacks and a how-to guide to get the job done. Now they’re just hoping someone picks up a copy and is ‘inspired’ to do it.”