Saturday’s terror attacks in London were purported by three Islamic State-inspired terrorists who happened to follow a very specific guide, one which involves two everyday items now increasingly associated with terrorism – a knife and a truck.
Youssef Zaghba, Rachid Redouane, and Khuram Butt killed seven people and injured dozens when they rammed bystanders with a van near London Bridge. In Borough Market, several others got stabbed – exactly what the Rumiyah magazine had published instructing their followers to do.
Rumiyah – ISIS propaganda source
Rumiyah is specifically aimed at the Western World and was made available in 2016. Its eighth edition, published in April, contains write-ups guiding readers on how to cause terror using cars and knives in events normally attended by tons of people, such as conventions, outdoor festivals, congested streets, and market places.
Applauding the 2016 Bastille Day Attack in Nice which left 86 dead as an example, the magazine urges supporters to use heavy, wide-wheeled trucks to inflict maximum damage. What makes it all the more disturbing is the fact that it details the easiest ways of getting vehicles for such attacks and what type of truck works well, specifically, a box truck.
London Bridge attackers turned a £30 rental van into a weapon — after possibly booking it online https://t.co/AKRQi0riyh pic.twitter.com/7hpgsnGSgG
— The Sun (@TheSun) June 6, 2017
From a spectator’s perspective, the recent attack in London Bridge mirrors the Bastille Day attack in France, where a truck mowed through an unsuspecting crowd.
The same thing happened in Berlin during the holidays. Stabbing incidents have since increased in numbers, which goes to show that the propaganda-laden magazine seems to have made an impact.
“Those Muslims residing in the West, in particular, have an opportunity to terrorize the Crusaders themselves,” a line from an October issue urged.
The Manchester bombing is hauntingly similar to earlier attacks in Paris, Brussels, Berlin, London, and Madrid. Yet, it stands out for the new questions it raises about ISIS.
Rumiyah’s Ramadan issue
During Ramadan, ISIS urged its followers to wage “all-out war” on the West, as indicated on the Rumiyah Ramadan issue. The lengthy article, written by spokesman Abul-Hasan al-Mujahir, told readers to use the celebration to "maximize the benefit you receive on the day of judgment". This has alerted authorities and civilians into thinking more attacks could happen in days to come.
Upon the start of Ramadan this year, jihadists in the Philippines waged war in the city of Marawi. In Egypt, a group of Christians en route to a monastery were attacked – 29 of them were killed.
In Afghanistan, 18 people were killed in a suicide bomb attack.
ISIS began circulating a poster this week calling on Muslims to seize the opportunity of Ramadan to kill civilian "Crusaders" (Christians). The plea appeared June 3 on the semi-official ISIS Nasher channels on Telegram.
Ramadan, evidently, is not only about devotion and religious spirituality. It appears to have become a whole month of Jihad.
