Jihadists in Plain Sight

IS THE AMERICAN MEDIA WHITEWASHING THE THREAT OF GLOBAL TERROR?

by Sharon Rondeau

(Oct. 14, 2010) — A former North Carolina resident and U.S. citizen who left the United States is now  involved in publishing an online magazine entitled Inspire, which reportedly encourages readers to “wage jihad for the rest of our lives until either we implant Islam all over the world or meet our Lord as bearers of Islam.’

Samir Khan reportedly was born in Saudi Arabia and immigrated to the U.S. as a child, first settling in New York prior to moving to North Carolina, where he  eventually participated in a local chapter of the Islamic Organization of North America  (IONA) and operated a jihadist blog from his parents’ home in Charlotte.

Khan is allegedly the “graphics” producer behind the terrorism-inspired publication which the New York Daily News depicts as “a slick new Al Qaeda magazine.”  NPR has described the publication as “Written in colloquial English” with “jazzy headlines and articles that made it seem almost mainstream — except that they were all about terrorism”  and labels the spread of the terrorist message as “outreach.”  An audio of an NPR report is here.

First issued in July, the second issue of the jihadist news magazine released on October 11, 2010 contains contributions from Anwar al-Awlaki, who has been described as a “Renegade U.S. Cleric.” Al-Awlaki had had email communication with Major Nidal Hasan, the man accused of murdering 13 of his fellow soldiers at Ft. Hood, TX, last November and had immediately  praised the attack by stating, “fighting against the U.S. army is an Islamic duty.”

Both al-Awlaki and Samir Khan have joined the group Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula, whose leader is reportedly Osama bin Laden or one of his aides.

Al-Awlaki has been an imam whose sermons were reportedly attended by three of the 9-11 terrorists as well as  Hasan. He is believed to be “playing an active role in organizing and inspiring specific terror plots on U.S. targets.”  Reportedly born in New Mexico, he received his education in Yemen and then returned to the United States and became director of a “cultural Islamic center” which is described as “one of the largest and most influential mosques in the USA.”

One of the founders of the center is another American citizen who is employed at a “private Islamic school in Virginia” which has connections to the Dar al-Hijrah Center.  It is reported that its imam was “named as an unindicted co-conspirator in the first World Trade Center bombing.”

The U.S. government has reportedly classified al-Awlaki as “a global terrorist.”

Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula was created by the uniting of terrorists from Saudi Arabia and Yemen and has been deemed responsible for the “Christmas Day bomb plot” on a flight from Amsterdam, Netherlands, to Detroit, MI.

CNN has reported that the second issue of Inspire “offers jihadists terror tips” and was published on the tenth anniversary of the bombing of the USS Cole in the Gulf of Aden off the coast of Yemen, which took the lives of 17 US service members.

AOL News states that the publication “made a splash” this past summer with its first issue, and deems Anwar al-Awlaki an “Islamist superstar.”

An attempt to access the magazine indirectly produces the following message:

Normal registration has been closed.  New members are now only accepted by invitation of existing members

Further details and additional, larger images of the site can be found here (Note:  This site depicts the work of a private investigator involved in researching adult and violent crimes as well as terror).

Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula carried out attacks in Saudi Arabia in 2003 and a rocket attack at the U.S. embassy located in Sanaa, Yemen.  Its reported goal is to overthrow the Saudi government with the intent of establishing a  caliphate to “unite all the Muslims of the world.”

A UK publication states that the magazine contains “chilling new tips on how to kill Americans” and that al-Awlaki personally played a part in the Christmas Day bomb plot.

A North Carolina congresswoman has called for the revocation of Khan’s U.S. citizenship based on his promotion of terrorist activities.

UPDATE, OCTOBER 20, 2010: Documents reportedly obtained by Fox News report that al-Awlaki had “condemned Al Qaeda and the (Sept. 11, 2001) terrorist attacks during an address at a mosque in Fairfax, VA and that he was “a moderate Muslim.”  Fox News also reported today that Al-Awlaki had been a guest at the Pentagon following the 9/11 terrorist attacks.