Thread: Al-Qaida magazine urges terrorists to set wildfires in Montana

Al-Qaida magazine urges terrorists to set wildfires in Montana




May 04, 2012 5:53 am • By GWEN FLORIO Missoulian

Terrorists who want to strike fear in the hearts of Americans would do well to set wildfires in Montana, al-Qaida advises in the most recent issue of its English-language magazine, Inspire.

“It is difficult to choose a better place other than in the valleys of Montana where the population increases rapidly,” Inspire’s “AQ Chef” columnist writes.

The magazine disappeared for a while after its founders, Anwar al-Awlaki and Samir Khan, were killed last year in a U.S. missile strike.

But it recently reappeared online, its grammatically challenged cover urging “It is of your freedom to ignite a firebomb.” Inside, the AQ Chef gives three pages detailing the recipe for an “ember bomb” — along with the suggestion to deploy such bombs in Montana.

News of the Inspire article spread among federal agencies Thursday.
“The U.S. Department of Agriculture, including the U.S. Forest Service, works closely with its partners within the intelligence community, including both the Department of Homeland Security and the Department of Justice on any terrorist threats, including threats of this nature,” said Forest Service spokesman Brandan Schulze.

“We are asking Forest Service employees, law enforcement and the general public to continue to be vigilant for any signs of wildfires, and to report unusual circumstances or situations that seem out of the ordinary for outdoor recreation on all public lands,” he said.

The Inspire article states that America has more houses in the “country sides” than cities, and tells readers that on Aug. 6, 2000, “wildfires extended on the sides of a valley, south of Darby town.

“Six separated fires started and then met to form a massive fire that burnt down tens of houses.”

The 2000 wildfires were the Northern Rockies’ worst in 50 years.
In Montana alone, nearly 1 million acres burned, more than one-third of that in the Bitterroot National Forest.

The article also mentions destructive wildfires in Australia in 2002 and in 1983, and asks, “Is it possible for us to cause a similar destructive impact using a similar weapon?”

Read more: Al-Qaida magazine urges terrorists to set wildfires in Montana

Al Qaeda terrorists interested in using fire to unleash hell in United States

Christopher Collins

Paulding County Republican Examiner

The men who launched al Qaeda's English-language magazine "Inspire" magazine continue to promote jihadi attacks on Western targets, offering detailed advice on how to start huge forest fires in America with timed explosives and how to build remote-controlled bombs.

Although the two Muslim terrorists who launched the Jihadist magazine Inspire were killed in a U.S. airstrike last fall, the magazine continues to promote terrorism against America with its recent release of issue nine of using fire as a weapon.
In the magazine, a writer who goes by the name The AQChef said, "In America, there are more houses built in the countryside than in the cities. It is difficult to choose a better place than in the valleys of Montana."

Although the mainstream media has reporting has been spotty on this story, it has caught the eye of the Department of Homeland Security who wrote up an unclassified report, that is posted on the web, on May 31, 2012, which was not publicly available, until now that outlines the threats posed by Al Qaeda terrorists and cells sympathetic to their cause in Al Qaeda's latest issues of their online magazine that is only available in Jihadist sites.

Statements in the report said that “for at least a decade, international terrorist groups and associated individuals have expressed interest in using fire as a tactic against the Homeland to cause economic loss, fear, resource depletion, and humanitarian hardship. There is no evidence that international terrorist groups and inspired individuals are responsible for any purposeful destruction of public or private property by setting wildfires in the United States. Using fire as a weapon, however, is inexpensive and requires limited technical expertise, giving it a strong advantage over other methods of attack. Statements advocating this tactic are most often found on violent extremist Web forums and in violent extremist propaganda.”

The report also stated that the ninth issue of Inspire—“AQAP’s English-language magazine published on 2 May 2012 as the winter 2012 edition—advocates setting wildfires in the United States to create economic hardship and cause the loss of life of firefighters, the destruction of property and buildings, and general psychological distress. The first issue of Inspire, which AQAP released in summer 2010, also briefly made reference to setting fires as a tactic. We have no indications AQAP or unaffiliated violent extremists are planning to act upon the suggestions contained in Inspire.”

The report also went on to say that on February 6, 2012, a purported violent extremist posted a message entitled “The Top 100 Targets in the United States” that noted “pyro-terrorism is perhaps the greatest threat America has ever faced,” as perpetrators run a low risk of detection and the posting urges “pyro-terrorists” to start forest and grass fires randomly to cause economic damage.

While wildfires are presently raging in western states, the Denver Field Office of the FBI last month warned the Colorado and Wyoming law enforcement agencies of the potential threat that jihadists could start wildfires as a form of terrorist attack as a result of the article in the winter issue of Inspire, a jihadist webzine produced by al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP). As of now, there have been no indications that the fires in the western part of the U.S. have been started by terrorists.

Although the “Inspire” magazine had lain dormant for a while, it was recently resurrected in 2010, according the Anti-Defamation League (ADL).

However, issues eight and nine caught the attention of the seriousness of what Al Qaeda may be up to. In a startling statement, the editorial in the magazine stated, “To the disappointment of our enemies, we are still publishing America's worst nightmare.”
Al Qaeda terrorists interested in using fire to unleash hell in United States - Atlanta Paulding County Republican | Examiner.com

From Colorado: I saw that article and wondered how many fires are burning in Colorado, where I have friends that I am receiving updates from , are burning - the number is surprising.

There certainly seem to be a lot of arson fires in Colorado this year.

Conditions are dry and dangerous so it could just be mother nature.

Fires are currently burning in New Mexico,Utah,Wyoming and Montana.

Just seems like a lot of fires all at once.

UPDATE: Arson suspected in Breck wildfire


June 12, 2012 10:04 AM

SUMMIT DAILY
BRECKENRIDGE — Authorities are calling two small wildland fires that ignited a few hundred feet away from one another arson, after pages of a book, matches and a can of highly flammable bug spray were discovered at the scene.

Arson suspected in Breck wildfire - UPDATE - OutThereColorado.com

Boulder playground arson posed risk amid extreme fire conditions

Posted:
T 06/20/2012 06:22:25 AM MDT

The Denver Post

Read more: Boulder playground arson posed risk amid extreme fire conditions - The Denver Post Boulder playground arson posed risk amid extreme fire conditions - The Denver Post

Update: Search for Suspect in Teller Co. Arson Fires

13 Suspected Arsonist Fires Since Monday

KRDO.com Staff
POSTED: 08:54 PM MDT Jun 21, 2012 UPDATED: 12:00 PM MDT Jun 22, 2012
Update: Search for Suspect in Teller Co. Arson Fires | News - Home

Arsonist sets 10 fires in three days by Jaryd Wilson Posted: 06.21.2012 at 10:04 AM

Arsonist sets 10 fires in three days : News : ColoradoConnection.com