The Yemen based wing of the Islamic militant group Al-Qaeda has come out with an illustrated online magazine which is aimed at recruiting and inspiring jihadis around the world. The intention of the editors also seems to be to get the attention of the media. When the initial issue was released earlier this year, the world media commented more on the Inspire magazine than the Jihadi websites.
One article in the October issue named ‘The Ultimate Mowing Machine’ gives instructions with illustrations on how to use a pickup truck to ‘mow down the enemies of Allah’ by welding spikes onto it and driving into crowded areas. The article also advised to carry firearms if possible to inflict as much damage as possible.
Other articles were by noted renegade U.S. cleric Anwar al-Awlaqi, who is on America’s kill or capture list for his involvement in attempted bombing of an airliner on Christmas day last year. He has praised Major Nidal Hassan and urged others to follow his example.
A section called ‘My Life in Jihad’ shows the profile of the internet militant, Samir Khan where he swears his loyalty to Osama Bin Laden. The first issue of Inspire had articles which instructed jihadis on how to make a bomb in your kitchen.
Yemeni scholar Christopher Boucek from the Carnegie Endowment says that the magazine is aiming at reaching out to a far broader audience. It is also worrying that they seem to evolve towards using one man attacks which are far more difficult to detect and stop. Boucek feels that the group is growing “increasingly agile, lethal and opportunistic”.
The Yemeni Al Qaeda has its headquarters in Yemen's remote and mountainous Shabwa province. The country’s weak central government is unable to contain their growth even with financial support from the U.S.
The magazine’s final few pages are dedicated to several email addresses to communicate with them including a hotmail address. It also advises the recruits to download encryption software before sending messages.
