How Does Al Qaeda Use The Internet?

Domestic terrorist groups are violent extremists that want to attack the U.S. from the inside. Their intent is to frighten, pressure, and/or influence national principles. Today’s terrorist organizations are using cyberspace to spread their message. Training and online recruitment are also being made available by the Internet and social media websites. Some of the acts are lone-wolf attacks and others are collective attacks. Some examples of domestic terrorist groups that use cyberspace are Army of God, Sovereign Citizens, and Phineas Priesthood. The Southern Poverty Law Center released a report on terrorism, stating that more people have been killed in America by non-Islamic domestic terrorists than jihadists (Henderson, 2015). Terrorist

The first moderately unfamiliar assumption requiring in depth research concerns the function of the internet in the dynamics of al-Qaeda, and its product of terrorism. Generally it has become normal to refer with awe to the purportedly amplified central - role that the internet has assumed in the progression of terrorist activities regarding al-Qaeda and its cells . As for the most part, in a thorough discussion, Atwan (2006) suggesting that it 'is no embellishment to say that the Internet is the solitary most significant factor in transforming mostly local jihadi concerns and actions into the truly universal network that al Qaeda has developed into today ', and culminating in the claim that 'al Qaeda is hastily becoming the foremost web-directed guerrilla network in the world ' (pp. 124, 149).

As the internet usage has increased, it also has become an element for radicalization, therefore, develop a national cybercrime unit model to analyze potential terrorist attacks, addressing virtual space and technology.

This paper will talk about the largest terror group called Al Qaeda. Stating the facts on when this terror group formed, their motives, and graphs on numerous innocent lives. The most notorious Islamic terrorist group is Al Qaeda. Its pioneer, Osama Bin Laden, issued a fatwa (a religious decision) in February 1998 requiring an overall Islamic sacred war to slaughter Christians and Jews. Laden's key targets seem to be U.S. property. Al-Qaeda is a terrorist group that was established by Osama Bin Laden in the late 1980s. It started as a strategic system to help Muslims in Afghanistan battling against what was then the Soviet Union amid the Afghan War. Individuals were enrolled all through the Islamic world standing Al-Qaeda's roots and connections.

The al-Qaeda of today is a vastly different entity from the al-Qaeda formed by Osama bin Laden towards the end of the Afghan war against the Soviets in 1988 (Alexander and Swetnam, 2001: 37). The evolution, or as Burton (2006) has termed it “devolution”, of al-Qaeda, is partially linked to its terrorist acts, and, in particular, the counter-terrorist measures employed by governments to deal with them. This is most evident in reference to the single most expensive, in terms of life lost and economical impact, terrorist act in modern history, the destruction of the World Trade Centre, and the subsequent declaration of a “war on terror” by George Bush’s United States and its Allies. It is the actions in response to terrorist acts that has

must increase control of Information Operations (IO). IO is the integrated employment of core capabilities of electronic warfare, computer network operations, psychological operations, military deception and operations security; specified to influence, disrupt, and corrupt the adversary. The anti-American propaganda that is released via the internet by ISIL continues to deceive the impressionable and attract volunteers to this terrorist group. The U.S. faces great challenges combating adversary propaganda from ISIL. Successfully locating, jamming and shutting down websites and social media that stream propaganda is not always effective; sites are shut down and moved too quickly. Adversary propaganda is designed to affect behaviors and influence American’s and our allies to disapprove of the war on terrorism, persuade society that their actions are justified and not terrorist actions; several sites solicit funds as well as

Hypothesis: The United State’s foreign policy will make a shift in the coming years to focus more intently on suppressing individual groups that use terrorism as a political strategy, rather than focusing on specific and identifiable States as in the past. The organizations mentioned before will be using the Internet to coordinate attacks, as well as attempt to hack US Government systems to their advantage. As a result, cyber security and antiterrorism stand to be the biggest future challenges for American foreign policy.

Other studies suggest that lone-wolf terrorism is a reactive approach to external pressure from counter-terrorism endeavors. Over the past 20 years, law enforcement and intelligence agencies have developed intricate methods of infiltrating terrorist organizations resulting in groups to aggressively evolve, pleading those who share a similar ideology to act on their behalf without direct support or guidance. The Federal Burau of Investigation (FBI) conclude that lone-wolf terrorists are utilized by larger terrorist organizations to overwhelm and confuse intelligence agencies and law enforcement. This perspective, however, is contingent upon communications technology being an enabling factor. While the internet has made it easier to access

Tomorrow’s terrorist may be able to do more damage with a keyboard than with a bomb (National Research Council1). The United States Department of States defined terrorism as: “…premeditated, politically motivated violence perpetrated against non-combatant targets by sub-national groups or clandestine agents.” Terrorism not only occurs on the real life today but also on the internet. As the technology rapidly developed, there is an increase in the usage of internet, the threat comes along the way. Due to the occurrence of internet terrorism-generating fears to the public, the term “Cyberterrorism” was coined by Barry Collin in the 1980’s (Cyberterrorism Defined). The definition of cyberterrorism differs from various legal systems and government

Throughout history, various terrorist groups have targeted the United States, endeavoring to prove its power and capabilities. Al-Qaeda, a terrorist group, run by Osama Bin Laden, is an explicit example of this. This group’s actions during the early 21st century has changed the lives of American’s forever. On September 11, 2001, al-Qaeda attacked the twin towers and World Trade Center, whilst attempted to attack the White House. This act of terrorism killed thousands of innocent civilians, no matter age, gender or race. Al-Qaeda’s main goal is to diffuse fear throughout the world. As time continues, the amount of terrorism within the world is increasing. An increase of terrorism activity is due to the increased amount of state support for it.

After the infamous 9/11 attacks against the U.S., the country has put in place various measures aimed at securing its borders against foreign threats. However, despite the increased security measures, terrorist groups still find ways through which they can perpetrate their heinous attacks. In particular, these groups have taken advantage of the Internet as a means to circumvent the security apparatus put in place by the U.S. One may, therefore, raise a question as to whether social media platforms have made it possible for foreign groups to undermine the U.S. intelligence system. This paper will explicate how terrorist organizations and other similar groups have used the Internet, and in particular, social media platforms to attain their agendas by recruiting U.S. nationals, enabling terrorist groups to overcome intelligence measures utilized by the U.S. by focusing on the following questions:

This paper explores some of the techniques and tools that are used by terrorist leaders to try to influence and change the mindsets of people. Political and religious motived techniques that are used by terrorist leaders are discussed in the paper. The paper also discuses how terrorist leaders have used the internet to gain support, influence, and recruit new members,

Terrorism and the use of social media to further its objective is a major concern affecting the world today. With the growing threat of terrorism, studying its operational techniques help to determine how and why terror groups are succeeding. Understanding the impact that terror groups have on marginalized populations through propaganda and a manipulation of facts will help in developing a greater understanding of terror group’s ability to mount successful campaigns globally. Given the threat that social media poses to the exposure and growth of terror organizations worldwide, much research and analysis is currently underway to examine the role that social media has played in the radicalization of countless individuals from various backgrounds and localities throughout the world. The link between social media and terrorist networks and their recruiting campaigns are very much an issue affecting peace and stability today. As such, nations and law enforcement agencies globally have taken steps with the communication industry to address this issue. Unfortunately however free and open access and anonymity offered by the internet creates a scenario in which law enforcement can identify terrorist material and remove it but terror groups can replace it with new content faster than it can be removed.

When speaking about al-Qaeda, this paper refers to an organization with numerous affiliates that promotes a global terrorist interpretation of jihad and thus inspires a movement of followers via the Internet. Jihadism is the modern ideology and terrorist interpretation of jihad, and jihadists are persons who hold up its principles and doctrines. An intermediate control level of al-Qaeda and other organizations exists, and it can be illustrated with the steady output of ideas and agendas. However, there are countless other actors who exert influence on jihadism online. Thus, it is preferable not to use the term "al-Qaeda" to describe the participants of online jihad. Most of them have nothing to do with al-Qaeda. The term al-Qaeda implies a

According to Furnell and Warren (1999), Evidence suggests that technology is growingly seen as a potential tool for terrorist organizations and the widespread use of information technology by terrorist groups and organizations has led to the birth of a new class of menace termed “Cyberterrorism”. Cyberterrorism could be used in many diverse ways. Sometimes, a country’s pivotal infrastructures could be shut down and harmed using computer network and tools. There have been impediments in trying to give a clear and concise definition to the term “cyberterrorism”. But Denning (2007) which supersedes Denning (2000) gives an unambiguous definition to cyberterrorism: