Crowdsourcing Jihad: IS and al-Qa‘ida’s Use of the Internet and Social Media – Part III

Al-Qa‘ida Loves the Internet

Since the Internet gained a substantial, international users base in the 1990s, Islamic extremists have frequently exploited the networked infrastructure.

Due to his privileged family heritage, élite education and Arab cultural upbringing, it is no surprise that from the beginning usāmah bin lādin (UBL) was cognizant of the power of public relations and the media. Al-Qa‘ida from its beginning, knew the value of computers, using them to store data, provided coded instructions, create false documents, obtain information, and setup Websites.

Al-Qa‘ida was the first of its kind with the protean ability to transform itself from a physical to a virtual organization. It meticulously planned events that would cause mass casualties and has a global reach. It is safe to say that al-Qa‘ida loves the Internet. Before 9/11, instant messaging and emails allowed al-Qa‘ida to give and receive operational information for surveillance and attacks when phone or even person-to-person contact seemed too hazardous. In late 2001 a treasure trove of evidence emerged when Alan Cullison of the Wall Street Journal was able to purchase 2 computers used by UBL. Both of UBL’s computers contained diverse sets of communications between al-Qa‘ida members. Although the saved emails that Mr. Cullison was able to access did not look like they were communicating about any operations against the United States, they could have coded instructions for future operations worldwide. Al-Qa‘ida’s secrecy concerns led the organization to utilize heavily coded language, concealing coded messages and information within other nonsecret text, this technique is called steganography. Cullison notes:

As Al Qaeda established itself in Afghanistan in the late 1990s and began managing international operations of ever increasing complexity and audacity, the group focused on ensuring the secrecy of its communications. It discouraged the use of email and telephone and recommended faxes and couriers. The electronic files reflect the global nature of the work being done; much of the correspondence was neatly filed by country name. Messages were usually encrypted and often couched in language mimicking that of a multinational corporation; thus Osama Bin Laden was sometimes “the contractor,” acts of terrorism became “trade,” Mullah Omar and the Taliban became the “Omar Brothers Company,” the security services of the United States and Great Britain became “foreign competitors,” and so on. Especially sensitive messages were encoded with simple but reliable cryptographic system that had been used by both Allied and Axis powers during World War II.

A sample of what Mr. Cullison is describing can be found in an email communication sent on February 1, 1999 from Ayman al-Zawahiri, at that time UBL’s chief deputy, to al-Qa‘ida cell members in Yemen:

I would like to clarify the following with relation to the birthday [probably an unspecified attack]:

a) Don’t think of showering as it may harm your health.

b) We can’t make a hotel reservation for you, but they usually don’t mind making reservations for guests. Those who wish to make a reservation should go to Quwedar [a famous pastry shop in Cairo].

c) I suggest that each of you takes a recipient to Quwedar to buy sweets, then make the hotel reservation. It is easy. After you check in, walk to Nur. After you attend the birthday go from Quwedar to Bushra St., where you should buy movie tickets to Za’bolla movie theater.

d) The birthday will be in the third month. How do you want to celebrate it in the seventh? Do you want us to change the boy’s birth date? There are guests awaiting the real date to get back to their work.

e) I don’t have any gravel [probably ammunition or bomb-making material].

Al-Qa‘ida used encrypted messaging. The coded language that al-Qa‘ida used, mimicked that of a multinational corporation (MNC), which is interesting because they also physically acted like an MNC. An example of this is when al-Qa‘ida affiliates actually physically went to South East Asia, like an international corporation for recruitment and discussions. This is the old way of doing “business”.