Al Qaeda calls for 'lone wolf' in West, 'use of force' in East

Map of Saudi Arabia. [CIA World Fact Book]The Middle East Media Research Institute (MEMRI) said al Qaeda has called for “lone wolf” attacks in the West and the “use of force” in protests in “the Muslim World.” MEMRI said those calls were published in the winter and spring issues of Inspire, the English version of al Qaeda’s official magazine.

In the winter, 2011 issue, MEMRI said an “anonymous Muslim living in the West” wrote to the magazine to seek information about joining the jihad. The response was given as a ‘letter from the editor.’

The editor advised the aspiring jihadist to “carry out a personal jihad mission with a lone wolf attack in a crowded area in his country in the West…”

Such advice brings malls, sporting events and other large gatherings to mind.

The editor explained it was better to act as a lone wolf rather than to travel to “a jihad front” because the lone assailant model “has proven to be the most successful for jihadists living in the West.”

The editor gave specifics: “[K]illing 10 soldiers in America, for example, is much more effective than killing 100 apostates in the Yemeni military.”

Al Qaeda views Muslims who are not part of the jihad or those who don’t conform to the AQ denomination as apostates—they are fair game for attacks as well.

The magazine also praised several assassins like Maj. Nidal Hasan, the [alleged] Ft. Hood shooter—Hasan’s attack was called “a great success.” The magazine cast Hasan’s attack as a perfect example for a lone wolf to follow.

Al Qaeda is endorsing independent attacks because of the security aspect. The editor wrote, “With lone operations…as long as you keep it to yourself, nobody in the world would know what you’re thinking and planning.”

The editor came up short on remarks about Hasan in one regard—there were indications Hasan was becoming radicalized. Officers are facing discipline for allegedly ignoring the development*.

In the spring, 2011, issue, the editor praised the revolts spreading throughout the East and specifically singled out Palestine as “central to the Muslim ummah…”

The editor endorsed violence: “Al-Qaeda is not against regime changes through protests but it is against the idea that the change should be only through peaceful means to the exclusion of the use of force.”

MEMRI said in a previous issue, Inspire featured advice on "making a bomb in the kitchen of your mom."

MEMRI said the latest issue runs 70 pages in length and “depicts a globe rotated to show the U.S. sinking into a body of water.” The title: ‘The Tsunami of Change.’

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*Alleged Ft. Hood shooter Hasan awaits decision

(Filed by Kay B. Day/April 5, 2011)

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