Posted on 01/21/2008 10:07:51 AM PST by forkinsocket
U.S. officials monitoring terrorist web sites have discovered a call for using forest fires as weapons against “crusader” nations, in what may explain some recent wildfires in places like southern California and Greece.
A terrorist website was discovered recently that carried a posting that called for “Forest Jihad.” The posting was listed on the Internet on Nov. 26 and reported in U.S. intelligence channels last week. The statement, in Arabic, said that “summer has begun so do not forget the Forest Jihad.”
The writer called on all Muslims in the United States, Europe, Russia and Australia to “start forest fires.”
The posting quoted imprisoned Al Qaida terrorist Abu Musab Al-Suri, as saying “Jihad is an art just like poetry, music, and the fine arts. There are people that draw and there are others that are jihadists. They both act upon inspiration.” Al-Suri is a senior Al Qaida leader captured in Pakistan in 2005 who is believed to be in U.S. custody.
“The idea of forest fires is attributed to him, may God set him free, as is in this short clip,” the writer stated.
The posting said that setting forest fires were legal under extremist Islamic law as part of a “eye for an eye” and that can produce “amazing results.”
Wildfires in California burned more than 500,000 acres beginning in October and authorities said arson was to blame for some of the fires. In August, wildfires broke out in Greece that authorities say were deliberately set.
The writer stated that it was permissible to burn trees in carrying out jihad.
“Scholars have justified chopping down and burning the infidels' forests when they do the same to our lands,” the writer said.
The writer stated that “targeted forests” are in the nations that “are at war with Muslims,” including the United States, Europe, Russia, and Australia.
Other nations, including Brazil are “off limits” because Brazil has not joined the “armies of the crusade.”
On damage caused by wildfires, the report said that the fires typically take months to put out which means that “this terror will haunt them for an extended period of time.”
The fires also will cause economic damage because it will limit exports of timber used to make furniture and also will cause losses to pharmaceutical companies that use trees for ingredients for drugs, the posting said.
Smoke caused by the fires will create pollution and military forces could be tied up fighting fires. The report noted that U.S. military forces in Iraq or Afghanistan “could even be recalled” as occurred following hurricane Katrina, which did not occur.
“Imagine if, after all the losses caused by such an event, a jihadist organization were to claim responsibility for (starting) the forest fires,” the writer said. “You can hardly begin to imagine the level of the fear that would take hold of people in the United States, in Europe, in Russia, and in Australia.”
The report said that Abu Musab Al-Suri, urges terrorists to use sulphuric acid to start a forest fire, as well as gasoline.
The article was signed by Abu Thar Al-Kuwaiti, on behalf of a group called the Al-Ikhlas Islamic Network.
Massive forest/brush fires, particularly in places like California where considerable property destruction and even loss of life could occur, would make plausible terrorist weapons. However, attacks against our electric and communications infrastructure might be more effective at crippling the US economy. Consider the effects of of coordinated attacks on major portions of the US electric grid or against microwave towers. Massive east coast blackouts have happened in the past caused by just a single equipment failure triggering a cascade of overloads and shutdowns.
I think one of their incindery devices did kill some members of a family out on a picnic.
There is no terrorist threat - John Kerry
War on Terror is a bumper sticker slogan - John Ewards
..willing suspension of disbelief - Hillary Clinton
Voted against all Iraq measures - Obama Hussein Barack
Each state should have 10 to 20 C-130 gunships for fighting terrorism. They could work together when needed.
Here’s hoping for a wet year.
I wonder if this has already happened...
islamist=orcs
Duh. Gee, whouda thunk that so many people could be affected by a match and a little wind. What if it happened SoCal? Seems to happen every year about the same time. Hmmm?
“I think that the fires in Greece last year might have been what really got terrorists attention.”
I saw the effects last August in central and southern Italy also. The locals said the fires were started by “anarchists.”
OK, naming your son “Son of Musab the Syrian” would make sense. But why would a father name his newborn child “Father of Musab the Syrian”? As an infant, you obviously aren’t a father. How would grandpa know his grandson will be named Musab? And exactly how does he know he will be Syrian?
This is really confusing. Please enlighten me.
We need a firm policy that for every square kilometer of our forest they burn, we grab one square kilometer of their oilfields.
So that's why there are no trees in Saudi Arabia. I'd always wondered.
“There must be 50 ways to be a Jihadist”
(perhaps some poetic and musically talented FReepers can expound a song)
Took ‘em long enough to figure that one out.
“Loose lips sink ships.”
How about we expel all who belong to that cult of death?
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