Latest news with #jihad
CBS News
17 hours ago
- Politics
- CBS News
Chicago man convicted of using social media to recruit for ISIS, and try to spread violent jihad
A Chicago man has been convicted of using social media to recruit ISIS operatives and try to spread violent jihad, and encourage people to carry out attacks on behalf of the terrorist group. Following a bench trial in federal court in Chicago, Ashraf Al Safoo, 41, was convicted of one count of conspiracy to transmit threats in interstate commerce, one count of conspiracy to intentionally access a protected computer without authorization, four counts of intentionally accessing a protected computer without authorization, and four counts of providing material support to a foreign terrorist organization. Al Safoo was arrested in October 2018, following a raid at his home in the Budlong Woods neighborhood. Federal prosecutors said he is a naturalized U.S. citizen who was born in Iraq, and moved to the U.S. in 2008. He was accused of working with ISIS to various social media accounts to spread propaganda supporting violent jihad and recruit operatives to carry out terrorist attacks for the Islamic State. Prosecutors said he is a member of Khattab Media Foundation, an internet group that has sworn allegiance to ISIS, and spread propaganda online promoting violent jihad. Images and videos he created in coordination with ISIS allegedly included include images of violence during Christmas, celebrations of terrorist attacks, and mass shootings in the U.S. In one social media post, Al Safoo allegedly encouraged Khattab members to post pro-ISIS information "to cause confusion and spread terror within the hearts of those who disbelieved." "Work hard, brothers, edit the issue into short clips, take the pictures out of it and publish the efforts of your brothers in the pages of the apostates. Participate in the war, and spread terror, the [Islamic] State does not want you to watch it only, rather, it incites you, and if you are unable to, use it to incite others," Al Safoo allegedly wrote in another post. According to the charges, one video created by Khattab featured a computer-generated image of a family standing around a Christmas tree, with a castle in the background, before cutting to images of explosions, featuring images of dead and injured children. The video then cuts to the words "Now listen you dogs of hell. This is a message and more are going to follow. This is just the beginning. Our gifts are now ready," before showing a Christmas present containing a ticking bomb. The video then cuts to a news clip of a mass shooting; an image of a soldier dressed in black, holding a detonator; then landmarks from various world landmarks; and the soldier detonating a bomb. In November 2017, Al Safoo allegedly used a social media app to encourage people to help ISIS in any way possible. Sentencing for Al Safoo has been scheduled for Oct. 9. He faces up to 130 years in prison.
LBCI
4 days ago
- Politics
- LBCI
Unknown extremist group claims attack on church in Damascus
An extremist jihadi group has claimed responsibility for the deadly suicide bombing that targeted Mar Elias Church in Damascus. In a statement, Saraya Ansar al-Sunna said the 'martyrdom-seeker' Muhammad Zein al-Abidin Abu Othman carried out the attack. The group said the operation came 'after provocations' by Damascus Christians 'against the call and the people of the faith.' Saraya Ansar al-Sunna, which was founded shortly after the overthrow of the previous regime in December, was rejected as false reports published by the media affiliated with the Golani government. The group warned that its fighters, including suicide and infiltration operatives, remain 'fully prepared in number and readiness.' The Islamic State group has not claimed responsibility for the attack. AFP
Washington Post
13-05-2025
- Politics
- Washington Post
Africa's youngest leader, a friend of Russia, is celebrated by some and criticized by others
ABUJA, Nigeria — As news emerged this week about hundreds of Burkina Faso citizens killed separately by both jihadi groups and government forces , images of Burkina Faso's junta leader Capt. Ibrahim Traore were plastered over Russian state media speaking about pan-Africanism and liberating the minds of the continent's youths.
CTV News
12-05-2025
- Politics
- CTV News
More than 100 killed in jihadi attack in northern Burkina Faso
BAMAKO, Mali (AP) — An attack by a jihadi group in northern Burkina Faso killed more than 100 people, mostly soldiers, an aid worker and local residents said Monday. The attack on several locations, including a military base and the long besieged strategic town of Djibo, occurred early Sunday, said an aid worker actively involved in dialogues in Burkina Faso's hard-hit communities. A student from the area said her father was among those killed. Both individuals spoke to The Associated Press on Monday on the condition of anonymity due to fear of reprisals. A jihadi group aligned with Al-Qaida known as Jama'at Nasr al-Islam wal-Muslimin or JNIM, which is active in the Sahel region, claimed responsibility for Sunday's attack. Run by a military junta, the landlocked nation of 23 million has been among the worst hit by the security crisis in Africa's Sahel region, known as the global hot spot for violent extremism. About half of Burkina Faso is outside of government control as a result of the violence that contributed to two coups in 2022. Government security forces have also been accused of extrajudicial killings. The aid worker, as well as Charlie Werb, an independent open-source analyst focusing on the Sahel, recounted how Sunday's attack began simultaneously in different locations at 6 a.m local time on Sunday. 'JNIM fighters attacked eight localities simultaneously to disperse the Burkina Faso air force. The main attack occurred in Djibo, where JNIM fighters first took control of all the town's entry checkpoints before attacking the military camps, particularly the Special Anti-Terrorist Unit's camp,' said the aid worker. Werb, who studied videos posted online, said the attackers spent several hours in the areas without air support from Burkina Faso's military, unlike similar attacks on Djibo in the past, when security forces have successfully repelled the extremists. The latest attack shows JNIM's escalating power and widening reach in Burkina Faso, said Wassim Nasr, a Sahel specialist and senior research fellow at the Soufan Center security think tank. 'The fact that Djibo was targeted confirms the extent of JNIM's freedom of movement within Burkina Faso.' Analysts have warned that the junta's strategy of military escalation, including the mass recruitment of civilians into poorly trained militias, has worsened inter-ethnic tensions. ____ McMakin reported from Dakar, Senegal ____ Follow AP's Africa coverage at: Baba Ahmed And Wilson Mcmakin, The Associated Press
Washington Post
12-05-2025
- Politics
- Washington Post
More than 100 killed in jihadi attack in northern Burkina Faso
BAMAKO, Mali — An attack by a jihadi group in northern Burkina Faso killed more than 100 people, mostly soldiers, an aid worker and local residents said Monday. The attack on several locations, including a military base and the long besieged strategic town of Djibo, occurred early Sunday, said an aid worker actively involved in dialogues in Burkina Faso's hard-hit communities. A student from the area said her father was among those killed.
