Islamic State supporters are now calling on lone wolves to target one of the most vulnerable groups in America today: victims of Hurricane Harvey.
“To all the LM’s (lone mujahids) in the U.S. pop down to Houston and drop in at any of the relief centers housing displaced people from the Houston floods, make sure to bring lots of supplies/gadgets/toys to see if you can help put any kuffs (disbeliever) out of their misery,” said the message posted on a channel called “Lone Mujahid” on the app Telegram.
At the end of the message was a series of threatening emoji icons including a gun, knife, bomb, an explosion, a pill and an injection.
According to Newsweek, Telegram is a preferred means of communication among jihadis because of "its privacy and lack of takedowns compared to more public social media platforms such as Twitter."
The call for attacks against U.S. civilians is one regularly made by ISIS and its supporters. In November 2016, the group called for the “slaughter” of U.S. voters taking part in the presidential election eventually won by Donald Trump. [...]
U.S. authorities have charged a total of 114 men and women in connection with support or activity for ISIS, convicting 64.
ISIS and its supporters have called for attacks since its rise to prominence in 2014. The late spokesman of the group, Abu Mohammad al-Adnani, made calls for jihadis, dubbed “lone wolves” by much of the mainstream media, to attack in their home countries as opposed to attempting to make the journey to the group’s self-styled caliphate in Iraq and Syria. (Newsweek)
The security situation at the relief centers is unclear as the FBI did not respond to Newsweek's request for comment.
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