TRACWatch

06 February 2020

Weekly Analyst Review

Photo top: Video claim of credit by AQAP. Raymni also encouraged knife attacks such as "stabbing with household knife" at the 12:55 minute mark. Five different stabbings were featured listing both the United States inspirational street stabbings. US is top target but "British Muslims" were the target audience for the proposed stabbings .

Bottom Line Up Front: TRAC President Veryan Khan and Analyst Bethany Rudibaugh spent time this week on a claim of credit by al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP) for the 04 December shooting at Naval Air Station Pensacola. Saudi Air Force member, 2nd Lt. Mohammed Saeed Alshamrani, opened fire during a training program, killing three before being shot dead by Sheriff's deputies. Designated as terrorism, the incident had huge implications for U.S. "security cooperation" training programs. Thousands of foreign national military service members are brought to the U.S. annually to help develop military skills and to reinforce multi-national relationships. The attack forced a temporary halt to programs involving Saudi Arabia. On 02 February, AQAP issued an unexpected claim of credit by posting a video/audio message on a Telegram channel. Khan and Rudibaugh examined video to determine authenticity and the connection with Alshamrani. Their analysis deemed the lag time for the claim "not unusual," pointing to the week it took for AQAP to claim Charlie Hebdo in 2015; and concluded that It should be noted that Raymi did not give any direct evidence that Mohammed Alshamrani was an AQAP fighter, but did offer images of Alshamrani's personal life.

Top Incidents & Analysis

Rumors Circulate: Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP) Leader Qasim al-Raymi Killed by US Drone Strike in Wadi Ubaidah District , Marib, Yemen - 30 January 2020 The AQAP claim for the Naval Air Station Pensacola attack follows intense speculation on the leader of the terrorist group, Qasim al-Raymi. On 29 and 30 January 2020 chatter circulated Twitter about an alleged United States drone strike on the residence of an "al-Qaeda member" in the Marib province of Yemen. After further investigation into this chatter, tweets surfaced that al-Raymi had been targeted and killed in the strike. If confirmed that Qasim al-Raymi was killed, AQAP's leadership structure will have to reorganize and certainly will affect their operations at least in the short term

Image (above): According to the U.S. Rewards for Justice Program "Qasim al-Rimi was named emir of AQAP in June 2015, immediately after he swore allegiance to al-Qa’ida leader Ayman al-Zawahiri and called for renewed attacks against the United States. Al-Rimi trained terrorists at an al-Qa’ida camp in Afghanistan in the 1990’s, and subsequently returned to Yemen and became an AQAP military commander. He was sentenced to five years in prison in 2005 in Yemen of plotting to assassinate the U.S. Ambassador to Yemen, and escaped in 2006."

Image (above) : The "Act For Free / Act For Revolution" website banner

(Instructional Advice) Anarchist: How-To Destroy Signal Boxes and Railroad Tracks to Disrupt Trains Using Thick Gauge Copper Wire & Thermite in North America - 25 January 2020 (Advocating Attacks on Infrastructure) On 25 January, TRAC Analyst, Kelsey Tamplin discovered on the anarchist website, "Act For Free / Act For Revolution," which is known for posting anarchist activity around the world from official groups and self-starter/lone wolves, an instructional manual on how to destroy railways. Even before the instructional manual was published, there were two sabotage attacks on Canadian railways - both of which appeared to have been committed by lone wolves. It is worth noting that there is some similarities between the instructions on railways and other recent instructions given by white nationalists on Telegram. However, the anarchist instructions are much more detailed than those of the racists' online echo chamber.

Caliphate Soldiers Targeted The Gas Pipeline Between The Jews and The Egyptian Government By Several Explosive Devices In 'al-Talol' Village, East Bir al-Abd, Sinai, Egypt - 3 February 2020 TRAC Analyst, Sophia Badawy reported a claim by Islamic State Sinai (ISS) attempting to make good on the promise from the new Caliph to attack Israel. Egypt began importing gas from Israel last month through an East Mediterranean Gas Company (EMG) pipeline, which includes a sub-sea connection between el-Arish in Sinai and Ashkelon in Israel. In the second audio message released by the new Caliph, Shaykh Abu Hamza al-Qurashi, he specifically called on cells in the Sinai to attack Isreal and it appears that Islamic State Sinai (ISS) is attempting to answer that call.

Image (abo ve): Official claim by Islamic State Sinai stating that Caliphate soldiers targeted the gas pipeline between Jews and Egyptian government

Additional Items of Interest:

Reports from Somalia indicate two Al-Shabaab commanders have been ousted apparently for urging that group halt civilian casualties.

The U.S. Federal Aviation Administration begins the certification process for drones . The FAA says the policy will include those drones used for package delivery.

Terrorwave Refined Telegram Channel . Voluntary Mechanized infantry McVeigh Division uses a Ryder Truck, a reference to the rental truck Oklahoma City combing conspirators packed with explosives

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2020 Past Newsletters

28 January 2020 21 January 2020 14 January 2020 News Announcement

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