(New York, N.Y.) – The Counter Extremism Project (CEP) reports weekly on the methods used by extremists to exploit the Internet and social media platforms to recruit followers and incite violence. Last week, CEP researchers located nearly 100 ISIS nasheeds uploaded on the audio website Spreaker that included a link to a pro-ISIS website in its upload description. Additionally, the ISIS-affiliated media agency Amaq News released two short clips that claimed to show ISIS fighters firing mortar shells at a Popular Mobilization Forces facility in the western Anbar province of Iraq and the nighttime roadside bombing of a vehicle allegedly belonging to Kurdish forces in the Syrian city of Deir ez-Zor. Also, the pro-ISIS Al Battar Media Foundation released a video titled, “To the Awakening Groups in Mali,” which accused al Qaeda of allying with governments in Mali, Niger, Burkina Faso, and Algeria, against ISIS and celebrated alleged victories against the group. In addition, CEP researchers located an ISIS website on the .nl domain that contained ISIS propaganda material including the group’s Al-Naba weekly newsletter, statements from the group’s leadership, and content from the group’s print propaganda al-Himma library.
Meanwhile, users of an 8chan successor imageboard on the dark web encouraged a poster to commit a mass shooting paralleling the Christchurch terrorist attack. Finally, a white supremacist accelerationist Telegram channel that consistently advocates for the downfall of the U.S. government encouraged harassing voters in the upcoming U.S. presidential election.
ISIS Nasheeds Located on Spreaker
CEP researchers located almost 100 ISIS nasheeds on the audio website Spreaker, with the link to a pro-ISIS website in the upload description. The audio files were uploaded between August 23 and September 30. ISIS nasheeds are frequently used in the group’s video propaganda and are used to promote the group’s core ideology.
ISIS Amaq News Videos Found on Multiple Websites
Two short clips from ISIS’s affiliated Amaq News were located on multiple websites the week of September 26 to October 2. On March 21, 2019, the State Department amended the terrorist designation for ISIS to include Amaq News. The first video, released on September 30, claimed to show ISIS fighters firing mortar shells at a Popular Mobilization Forces facility in the western Anbar province of Iraq. In addition to Telegram and RocketChat, the video was uploaded to at least eight other websites: File.Fm, Streamable, PixelDrain, Dropbox, MediaFire, the Microsoft One Drive, the Internet Archive, and Mega.Nz. Approximately 24 hours after the video was uploaded, it was still available on at least five websites: File.Fm, PixelDrain, Dropbox, MediaFire, and the Internet Archive.
The second video, released on September 28, claimed to show the nighttime roadside bombing of a vehicle allegedly belonging to Kurdish forces in the Syrian city of Deir ez-Zor. In addition to Telegram and RocketChat, the video was uploaded to at least eight other websites: File.Fm, Streamable, PixelDrain, Dropbox, the Microsoft One Drive, the Internet Archive, Mega.Nz, and SendVid. Approximately three days later, the video was still available on at least six websites: File.Fm, Streamable, PixelDrain, Dropbox, the Microsoft One Drive, and the Internet Archive.
ISIS Amaq video on Dropbox, October 1, 2020.
Pro-ISIS Group Releases Propaganda Video Accusing Al Qaeda of Treachery in West Africa
On September 27, the pro-ISIS Al Battar Media Foundation released a video titled, “To the Awakening Groups in Mali.” The video accuses al-Qaeda of allying with governments in Mali, Niger, Burkina Faso, and Algeria, against ISIS, and celebrates alleged victories against al-Qaeda. The video specifically accuses al-Qaeda of treachery, and also commemorates ISIS fighters who have been killed in fighting in West Africa. The video includes combat scenes and shows dead bodies. The video was located on the NextCloud platform and the Internet Archive, with links spread via RocketChat.
ISIS Propaganda Website Located
An ISIS website was located on September 30 on the .nl domain. The website contains ISIS propaganda material including the group’s Al-Naba weekly newsletter, statements from the group’s leadership, and content from the group’s print propaganda al-Himma library. The website uses Registrar.Eu as its registrar and Cloudflare as its name server.
Users of 8chan Successor Website Encourage Poster to Commit Mass Shooting
On September 29, users of an 8chan successor imageboard on the dark web encouraged a poster to commit a mass shooting in the style of the Christchurch terrorist attack. The original poster asked for advice regarding where to post a manifesto, and the imageboard’s users offered suggestions, which mostly consisted of large social media sites and bulletin board style websites. The imageboard, which explicitly endorses fascism and white supremacist violence, was created in February 2019 in order to be more extreme than 8chan’s “politically incorrect” imageboard.
White Supremacist Accelerationist Telegram Channel Encourages Harassing Voters
On September 30, a white supremacist accelerationist Telegram channel encouraged harassing voters in the upcoming U.S. presidential election. The channel consistently advocates for the downfall of the U.S. government. By October 1, the message had been viewed over 1,500 times.