EVER wondered how to make a bomb at home, what to pack for a jihad or how to communicate in encrypted messages?
A new English-language al-Qa’ida magazine has the answers.
The first edition of Inspire magazine, from Yemen-based al-Qa’ida in the Arabian Peninsula, was released yesterday. With article titles such as Make a Bomb in the Kitchen of Your Mom by the The AQ Chef, and What to Expect in Jihad complete with a packing list, parts of the magazine have a friendly – if extremist – scouting manual tone.
The intent, however, is literally deadly serious. The make-a-bomb article notes that a device made in “one or two days could be ready to kill at least 10 people”, while one made in a month “could kill tens of people”.
The article, which addresses “Muslims in America and Europe”, then details the construction of an explosive device using sugar, crushed match heads, a pipe, a Christmas tree-type light, a battery and a clock.
The aim, according to The AQ Chef, is “conveying to you our military training right into your kitchen, to relieve you of the difficulty of travelling to us”.
The instructions appear in a section entitled Open Source Jihad, “a manual for those who loath the tyrants”.
What to Expect in Jihad offers advice for those who decide to take the fight abroad.
“When coming to any land of jihad, it is important to be able to speak the local language fluently,” the article advises. It also suggests that would-be mujaheddin (holy warriors) bring a friend.
The article recommends packing light, with a “well-built backpack”, several pairs of weather-appropriate clothes, “body-cleansing items” and “flexible boots”.
Items such as computers and MP3 players can also be brought along. However, mobile phones with SIM cards in place can be “dangerous”, and, along with cameras, should not be used without permission. Religious books make up most of the section on reading material to bring.
In another article, the magazine provides instructions on sending and receiving encrypted messages using a computer program called Asrar al-Mujaheddin, or Secrets of the Mujaheddin.
“Spies are actively paying attention to . . . emails, especially if you are known to be jihadi-minded,” the article says. It warns that “the enemy” has created a knock-off Asrar program meant to monitor jihadi correspondence, and advises users to perform an authenticity check.
Yemen is swiftly becoming the new global terrorism HQ.
Al-Qa’ida’s branch in Yemen claimed responsibility yesterday for a deadly attack last month on intelligence headquarters in the southern port city of Aden.
“Brigades of Jamil Nasser al-Ambari stormed Aden’s intelligence headquarters and the result was killing not less than 24 officers and soldiers,” said a statement posted on militant websites.
Yemeni officials had said that 11 people – seven military personnel, three women and a seven-year-old boy – were killed in the June 19 attack. Also yesterday, a Yemeni court upheld death sentences against four al-Qa’ida militants for activities including the US embassy attack and the killing of two Belgian tourists in 2008.
Be the first to comment