Al-Qaida to launch English-language propaganda newspaper as it broadens reach in US, Europe

Al-Qaida to launch English propaganda newspaper

NEW YORK — Al-Qaida is preparing to launch its first online propaganda newspaper in English, a move that could help the terror group recruit inside the U.S. and Europe.

The group has begun promoting the paper, called Inspire, with animated online graphics promising “special gift to the Islamic nation.” Counterterrorism officials and terror analysts say it will be run by al-Qaida’s branch in Yemen, which has been linked to the failed Christmas Day bombing attempt of a U.S.-bound airliner.

The launch suggests that, as al-Qaida’s core has been weakened by CIA drone airstrikes, the group hopes to broaden its reach inside the U.S., where officials have seen a spate of homegrown terrorists.

The new publication “is clearly intended for the aspiring jihadist in the U.S. or U.K. who may be the next Fort Hood murderer or Times Square bomber,” Bruce Riedel, a Brookings Institution scholar and former CIA officer, said.

At the heart of that effort is Anwar al-Awlaki, a radical U.S.-born cleric now living in Yemen. Authorities say his online sermons, in English, have inspired several recent terrorist plots in the United States. Al-Qaida’s advertisement says al-Awlaki will contribute to the first issue.

Until now, al-Qaida has relied on Arabic websites to carry its message. Now it appears to be capitalizing on its recent success recruiting inside the U.S.

Using propaganda on the Internet, the terrorist group has been able to attract Americans such as Bryant Neal Vinas and Najibullah Zazi, two admitted al-Qaida terrorists. Both were radicalized in New York and traveled to Pakistan to join the fight against the U.S.

In a recent terrorism case in New Jersey, prosecutors say two U.S. citizens watched al-Awlaki’s videos on their cell phones and took inspiration in his call for smaller, single acts of terrorism.

The newspaper’s launch was first reported by Fox News.