ISIS threatens to spoil the American Christmas in revenge for Baghdadi

Ahmed Sultan

After the killing of former ISIS leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi in October 2019, ISIS media platforms broadcast a new series inciting to target American sites and facilities in revenge for the killing of their leader by a special unit of the US Delta Force.

Calls for carrying out terrorist attacks have increased as the Christmas season approached, as an “informal” ISIS-affiliated institution published an interview with the so-called “emir of ISIS media organizations.”

During his interview, the emir of pro-ISIS organizations vowed to carry out terrorist attacks inside the United States, saying, “The United States is on the verge of perishing, and the black flags of punishment will fly over the White House.”

The terrorist organization also used Telegram to call for the assassination of US officials, commanders and military officials.

ISIS channels also published a design showing an ISIS terrorist with a knife while US President Donald Trump kneels under his feet.

The terrorist organization also called for the use of balloons to carry out atypical attacks by using them to drop bombs or explosive devices on vital places such as the White House.

Elements of the terrorist organization developed a number of guidelines for carrying out terrorist attacks, including using trucks to run over people, setting fires in forest areas, and targeting and setting fires to gas stations.

Las Vegas attack

Twenty people were killed and more than 100 wounded when a gunman opened fire during a music festival in Las Vegas, the authorities said.

The gunman opened fire from the 32^nd floor of the Mandalay Bay Resort towards a crowd of festival-goers.

The police confirmed that the suspected gunman was killed, explaining that he was a local resident, without revealing his name.

Although the authorities have not yet announced the identity of the bomber, ISIS operatives began celebrating after the news was published, confirming that this operation was among the operations launched by the organization on behalf of former ISIS spokesman Abu Muhammad al-Adnani, who was killed In one of the raids on the organizations strongholds.

ISIS announced that one of its elements was responsible for the second bloodiest attack in US history, explaining that the Las Vegas attack came as revenge for the US role in expelling the organization from its strongholds in Syria and Iraq.

A few days before that attack, a number of ISIS channels called for targeting American citizens and launching attacks inside the United States.

According to ISIS, its propaganda succeeded in recruiting Stephen Paddock, who the organization claims converted to Islam shortly before he planned to carry out the Las Vegas attack.

During the period after the attack, the terrorist organization’s propaganda machine continued to publish designs, sound clips, and video clips inciting terrorist attacks within the United States, as well as explaining ways to manufacture explosives and make weapons.

Lone wolves in the heart of America

A few weeks ago, the ISIS newspaper published a series of advice to lone wolves in the United States and European countries about carrying out terrorist attacks and withdrawing safely from the attack site.

Since the launch of the international coalition fighting ISIS, the terrorist organization has incited its supporters to launch attacks as lone wolves in order to relieve pressure on ISIS fighters in Syria, Iraq, Libya and Afghanistan.

The incitement has increased recently, coinciding with the approaching Christmas holiday, which ISIS considers an opportunity to carry out bloody attacks.

A number of lone ISIS wolves have planned to carry out attacks in the Christmas season, and the US authorities have succeeded in arresting one of them, Zachary Clark, in late November, after he participated in preparing plans to carry out terrorist attacks inside the United States, in addition to providing support to ISIS supporters.

ISIS networks attempting to penetrate US borders

According to a previous editorial from the Reference, ISIS operatives, with assistance from Americans in New Jersey, planned to smuggle American fighters from Syria to Mexico and then to the US border to carry out terrorist attacks.

ISIS elements had planned to send militants who would carry out attacks to Puerto Rico and from there to Mexico, and then enter smuggle them into the United States, but the plan was not completed.