Virtually Islamic Blog

Gary R. Bunt

'Islamic State'

'IS' Trial?

Al-Monitor, Islamic State's ‘Beatles’ could finally face justice for alleged role in beheading Americans Not keen on 'The Beatles' reference, but this is an important case nevertheless Discover More…

Once Upon a Time in Iraq

The conclusion of an excellent series, including discussion on ‘Mosul Eye’ (which I refer to in Hashtag Islam). Discover More…

Ishak Mostefaoui

'IS' British prisoner dies in custody Discover More…

'IS' on Facebook

Gordon Corera, BBC, ISIS 'still evading detection on Facebook', report says Discover More…

'IS' Camp

Vera Mironova, Middle East Institute, Life inside Syria’s al-Hol camp, 9 Jul 2020
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Husham al Hashimi

Independent, Husham al Hashimi: Renowned Iraqi scholar assassinated outside his home in Baghdad Discover More…

'IS'/COVID-19 Narratives

Chelsea Daymon, Meili Criezis, CTC Sentinel, Pandemic Narratives: Pro-Islamic State Media and the Coronavirus, June 2020, Vol. 13, Issue 6 [PDF] (one for the reading list - I haven't read it yet)

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'IS' Facebook

Update from Wired on IS activities in Facebook zones … Discover More…

Safiyya Shaykh Conviction

The conclusion of a significant UK prosecution case, with a dynamic online element to it. Discover More…

Qur'an and Radicalisation

Just found this interesting research from 2018 Discover More…

IS Horizon Foundation

IS Horizon Foundation publication released Discover More…

Al-Qaeda video

Commentary from Elisabeth Kendall on the new al-Qaeda video

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IT/'IS'/Wales

Wales Online, Boss of Cardiff company jailed for seven years in Spain for funding Isis
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IS Tech

Very interesting ... I refer to production values in 'Hashtag Islam' and elsewhere , but this looks closely at the actual tech: Yorck Beese, GNet, Shooting for 1080p Full HD – Assessing Islamic State’s Cameras Discover More…

ISIS Yemen

'ISIS' Yemen Discover More…

'Islamic State' 2020

Latest on ISIS Discover More…

'IS' Libya

Inga Kristina Trauthig, ICSR, islamic State in Libya: From Force to Farce? report
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'IS' Remnants

Reuters, Goran Tomasevic and Issam Abdallah, Reuters, Widowed, imprisoned, detained: remnants of Islamic State in limbo in Syria Discover More…

IS Repatriation

Indonesia IS Repatriation Concerns Discover More…

Deradicalisation in Indonesia.

Important sequence of reports emerging from Quentin Sommerville. Discover More…

Amir Mohammed Abdul Rahman al-Mawli al-Salbi

Guardian, Isis founding member confirmed by spies as group's new leader Discover More…

Burkina Faso

Telegraph, Islamic State warning as report reveals jihadists slaughtered 250 civilians in Burkina Faso terror campaign Discover More…

Al Jazeera, Women under ISIL

Al Jazeera, Women under ISIL recommended series Discover More…

'IS' 'matchmaker'

Telegraph, Isil 'matchmaker' who lured British teen bride to Syria deported to France Discover More…

IS App Concerns

'Islamic State' app concerns Discover More…

Yazidi Victim Confronts Perpetrator

Lena Kara, Mail Online, 'Do you have feelings? Do you have any honour?' Discover More…

'IS' Off-Net (for now)

NPR, Islamic State 'Not Present On The Internet Anymore' Following European Operation
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Telegram Slams 'IS'

Peter King, BBC Monitoring, Analysis: Massive cull of Islamic State accounts on Telegram disrupts propaganda
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Iran Cable Leak

Leaked Iran cables in focus here:
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Shoura

VOA News, Shoura: An experiment in reconciliation in post-Islamic State Iraq, 31 Aug 2019
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'IS' 'Caliph'

Mina al-Lami, BBC Monitoring, Analysis: What do we know about the new Islamic State leader?
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Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi - updated

Coverage on al-Baghdadi's death: Discover More…

IS TikTok

CNBC, TikTok removes two dozen accounts used for ISIS propaganda Discover More…

ISIS Research - Trauma

Graeme Wood, The Atlantic, I Watched ISIS Videos, and Felt My Soul Diminished Discover More…

Rumiyah Analysed

Stuart Macdonald, Daniel Grinnell, Anina Kinzel & Nuria Lorenzo-Dus, RUSI Journal, Daesh, Twitter and the Social Media Ecosystem: A Study of Outlinks Contained in Tweets Mentioning Rumiyah Discover More…

IS Prisoners

Jeff Seldin, VOA, Makeshift Prisons for Islamic State Fighters Reaching Breaking Point Discover More…

Mosul Eye Profile

BBC News, Fighting the Islamic State group online
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Neo-Nazis Are Glorifying Osama Bin Laden

Ben Makuch and Mack Lamoureux, Vice, Motherboard, Neo-Nazis Are Glorifying Osama Bin Laden Discover More…

IS Chemical Weapons Expert

VOA, Iraq Sentences Islamic State’s Woman Chemical Weapons Expert Discover More…

Balkan Radicalisation Issues

Emina Dizdarevic and Lamija Grebo, Balkan Insight, Bosnia Failing in Fight against Extremism Online
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Digital Forensics

FBI, The Modern Evidence Trail: The FBI’s Regional Computer Forensics Laboratories Are Vital in the Digital Age Discover More…

Yazidi Survival

BBC Outlook, Secret SMS texts saved my family from IS
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International Cyber Terrorism Regulation Project

David Fidler, Council on Foreign Relations, Terrorism, Social Media, and the El Paso Tragedy Discover More…

UN on 'IS'

Ben Makuch, Vice, ISIS Is Using Internet Propaganda to Maintain a 'Virtual Caliphate,' UN Report Says
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Documentary on IS female followers

BBC, Panorama, Stacey Meets the IS Brides Discover More…

IS Infowar

Metro, Inside the Islamic State Infowar: Ex-jihadi reveals secrets of his battle to wipe ISIS off the internet forever Discover More…

Operation Jihadi Bride

John Carney, Stuff, Operation Jihadi Bride: The truth about sex and Islamic State Discover More…

Boko Haram

Sky News, Bleeding borders Fighters from the brutal Islamist group Boko Haram are infiltrating Cameroon from Nigeria significant article Discover More…

Podcast on IS

Apple Podcasts, Mother Jones, Betrayal. Torture. Escape. An American ISIS Wife’s Exclusive Tell-All. Discover More…

'Jihad Jack'

Updates on the case of 'Jihad Jack' Discover More…

Kotey Interview

Chris Hughes, Mirror, ISIS 'Beatle' Ringo saved Jihadi John's life and laughed at execution videos Discover More…

'Islamic State' video

BBC Monitoring, IS killing video sends warning to Iraq's Sunnis, 11 Jun 2019 Discover More…

Kotey & Elsheikh Interview

CNN, One of the ISIS 'Beatles' says he's sorry. Will confessions save these fighters from death row? Discover More…

Mosul Eye profile

ABC Australia, 'The normal day, you would see beheadings': Why Omar risked his life to expose IS atrocities Discover More…

'IS' rocket research

The Standard, Haisem Zahab, electrician from Young, jailed for missile research to help Islamic State
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From Battlefront to Cyberspace

One for future reading:

Asaad Almohammad & Charlie Winter, From Battlefront to Cyberspace: Demystifying the Islamic State’s Propaganda Machine, CTI, June 2019


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Australia 'IS' Court Case

ABC News (Australia), Bangladeshi student Momena Shoma sentenced to 42 years for terror attack on homestay landlord
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West Bank IS arrest

Al-Monitor, West Bank security arrests alleged IS recruit targeting Israel Discover More…

Lyon suspect's 'IS allegiance

France 24, Lyon blast suspect ‘pledged allegiance’ to IS group
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Countering net-terrorism

Nikhil Raj Aggrawal, Observer Research Foundation (Delhi), The urgent need to counter terrorism on the internet Discover More…

USB Stick Manuals

The National, ISIS fanatic jailed for planting terror manuals in shoes of worshippers at mosques during Ramadan Discover More…

'IS' Research

James A. Piazza & Ahmet Guler, The Online Caliphate: Internet Usage and ISIS Support in the Arab World, Terrorism and Political Violence https://doi.org/10.1080/09546553.2019.1606801 for the reading list Discover More…

'IS' analysis

Deutsche Welle, German intelligence agency warns of 'Islamic State' attacks
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'IS' analysis

Deutsche Welle, German intelligence agency warns of 'Islamic State' attacks
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US IS supporter & social media

Ellie Hall, Buzzfeed, An Alabama “ISIS Bride” Wants To Come Home. Can We Forgive Her Horrifying Social Media Posts? Discover More…

Online bomb-making tutorial

Reuters, Wisconsin woman taught bomb-making online for Islamic State: prosecutors
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Australian jihadists online

Richard Wood, News9, What motivates Australian jihadists to take up IS cause Discover More…

Sri Lanka Bombers

WSJ, Sri Lanka Bombers Blew Up Motorcycles, Lost Fingers Honing Deadly Skills
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'IS' round-up

'Islamic State': round-up of activities/articles relating to online materials: Discover More…

Begum Legal Aid

BBC, Shamima Begum: IS bride set to be granted legal aid
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Shamima Begum Update

Richard Hall & Lizzie Dearden, Independent, Shamima Begum 'was member of feared Isis morality police' in Syria Discover More…

Al Hol camp, Syria

Quentin Sommerville, BBC News, The children no-one wants. Discover More…

Belgian IS Fighter

Kurdistan24, Belgian ISIS fighter confesses to group's use of chemical weapons, chlorine

This article highlights the issues associated with radicalisation, providing a perspective on a Belgian recruit to "Islamic State".

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Abu Hamza al-Britani

Washington Post/SCMP, Is there a McDonald’s here? Once-pudgy jihadi ‘Hungry Hamza’ asks about fast food after capture in Syria Discover More…

'IS' Fighters Interview

BBC, British IS fighters speak after defeat

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'IS' recruit killed

Times, Baby-faced Coventry jihadist killed by Isis as western spy Discover More…

'IS' Activity Profile

Mina al-Lami, BBC Monitoring, Where is the Islamic State group still active around the world?
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'IS' profile

AFP, Islamic State: pioneers of the 'digital caliphate'

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Monitoring online content

Morgan Meaker, Prospect, How the authorities are failing to tackle far-right terror online

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IS 'caliphate' 'ended'

Guardian, Isis defeated, US-backed Syrian Democratic Forces announce
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IS 'e-jihad'

Washington Post, She seemed like a normal Web-savvy teen. She was actually waging ‘e-jihad’ with ISIS hackers.
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Dagestan

BBC News, Russia's IS families: 'Why are the children being punished?'
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IS and Aftermath

Arab Weekly, After Baghouz, what do you do with ISIS families? Discover More…

'IS' "Passport to Paradise"

Middle East Eye, Former captive Iraqi doctor tells of dissent and despair within Islamic State's ranks
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Denmark Prosecution

CNN, Denmark prosecutes 14 people who shared murder video
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IS reconfiguration

Washington Post, As the ‘caliphate crumbles,’ the Islamic State is seeding a new insurgency Discover More…

UK IS Case

BBC News, Lewis Ludlow: How the Oxford Street terror plotter was caught
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IS Returnees

A couple of pieces about IS Returnees to Europe (with tech elements): Discover More…

IS - Analysis

Eurasia Review, Assessment Of Islamic State Ideological Threat – Analysis
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Islamic State's caliphate online

LA Times, Islamic State's caliphate is all but finished, but its online presence endures [opinion] Discover More…

Yazidi Victims

Mail on Sunday, 'It was like Apocalypse Now': SAS troops find severed heads of 50 Yazidi sex slaves as they close in on last of barbaric ISIS ‘tunnel rats’ Discover More…

'Jihadi Jack'

ITV, Exclusive: Homesick ‘Jihadi Jack’ wants to return to UK but 'no one cares' about him | ITV News Discover More…

Yazidi Quest for Justice

Buzzfeed, The Whole World Is Debating Whether “ISIS Brides” Should Go Home. But Yazidi Women Want Them Brought To Justice. Discover More…

Shamima Begum Case - update

For details of the Shamima Begum case, click here:
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German ISIS wife interview

CNN, German teenage ISIS wife wed at 15. Two children later she faces uncertain future Discover More…

'IS' online activities

Edith M Lederer, Associated Press, UN warns Islamic State losses shouldn't lead to complacency

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'IS' Media Reassertion/Recycle

Mail Online, Islamic State 'on verge of collapse': Militants ramp up internet war Discover More…

IS 'haven'?

Rita Katz, Washington Post, The Islamic State may have a new propaganda haven
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The enduring appeal of violent jihad

Frank Gardner, BBC News, The enduring appeal of violent jihad Discover More…

'IS' Ideological Origins

Tore Hamming, CTC, The Hardline Stream of Global Jihad: Revisiting the Ideological Origin of the Islamic State
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UK IS members captured

Telegraph, British family among latest suspected Isil members captured in Syria  Discover More…

New IS media group

Tweet from Jihadoscope on new IS media group:

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Self-radicalisation case - UK

Mail Online,

'Self-radicalised' Uber driver who drew sketch of gun raid on Downing St while awaiting trial for samurai sword attack on police near Buckingham Palace is found NOT GUILTY of terror plot
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'IS' kill 700 prisoners

Reuters, Islamic State kills 700 prisoners in east Syria - Syrian Observatory
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Abu Ali al-Anbari

Aymenn Jawad Al-Tamimi, The Biography of Abu Ali al-Anbari: Full Translation and Analysis


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Iraq's Post ISIS Campaign of Revenge

A sobering essential long-read by Ben Taub (and associated photographers): New Yorker, Shallow Graves/Iraq's Post ISIS Campaign of Revenge Discover More…

ISIS-obsessed teenager jailed over online terror videos

Birmingham Live, ISIS-obsessed teenager Sudesh Amman jailed over online terror videos
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Russia detains 7 alleged IS, Al-Nusra supporters

Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, Seven Detained In Russia For Allegedly Supporting Islamic State, Al-Nusra Front, 13 Dec 2018
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'IS' Case

Mail Online, Muslim woman, 23, who chatted online with jihadi brides and knew about a terror attack BEFORE it happened 'didn't understand' she was a member of ISIS
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Jihadology

Graeme Wood, The Atlantic, Don't Shut Down the Internet's Biggest Jihadi Archive, 10 Dec 2018 Discover More…

UAE deportation policy

Economic Times, UAE quietly deporting IS sympathisers of Indian origin, 6 Dec 2018

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IS 'History'

Aymenn Jawad Al-Tamimi, The Islamic State Research Office's Self-History

Long read, with lots of interesting detail. I haven't gone through it all yet.
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Online Radicalisation in Hawaii

USDOJ, U.S. Soldier Sentenced to 25 Years in Prison for Attempting to Provide Material Support to ISIS
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UK: Prosecution for spreading IS propaganda

Telegraph & Argus, CCTV operative spread graphic Islamic State propaganda, court told
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IS Telegram

BBC Monitoring, Analysis: IS steps up use of Telegram 'groups' feature
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True Origins of ISIS

Hassan Hassan, The Atlantic, The True Origins of ISIS: A secret biography suggests that Abu Ali al-Anbari defined the group’s radical approach more than any other person, 30 Nov 2018
Important article from Hassan Hassan.

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Austrian Islamic State figure reportedly killed in Syria coalition strike

BBC Monitoring, Austrian Islamic State figure reportedly killed in Syria coalition strike
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Building pictures of online activity

phys.org, 'Big picture' platforms boost fight against online terror activity, 29 Nov 2018
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Australia ISIS sentencing

The National, Australian court sentences ISIS supporter to 38 years in jail
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Dawn of the Code War

John P. Carlin, Inside the hunt for the world’s most dangerous terrorist, Politico Discover More…

Research on search data

'Using Internet search data to examine the relationship between anti-Muslim and pro-ISIS sentiment in U.S. counties' research paper

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“Of Fathers and Sons” film

Murtaza Hussain, The Intercept, “Of Fathers and Sons” — a Startling Film Goes Inside a Generational Apocalypse in Syria

What appears to be a depressing but essential piece of cinema (I have only viewed the trailer so far).

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IS responsibility issues

Mina Al-Lami‏ @Minalami has a significant Twitter thread on IS responsibility issues Discover More…

Asian Image, 'Criminalising thoughts': How Muslims are being targeted in new Counter-terrorism bill

Asian Image, 'Criminalising thoughts': How Muslims are being targeted in new Counter-terrorism bill Discover More…

The Cost of Crying Victory: Policy Implications of the Islamic State’s Territorial Collapse

Liesbeth van der Heide, Charlie Winter and Shiraz Maher, The Cost of Crying Victory: Policy Implications of the Islamic State’s Territorial Collapse report "In light of the territorial demise of the Islamic State (IS) in Iraq and Syria, this report analyses the continued risks posed by IS. " Discover More…

'Islamic State' Genocide: Report

NPR, Islamic State Dumped At Least 6,000 Bodies In Mass Graves In Iraq, U.N. Says

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Explosive device features IS parody

Explosive device features IS parody Discover More…

Anjem Choudary net restrictions

Guardian, Jailed preacher Anjem Choudary faces strict controls after release, 18 Oct 2018
"Restrictions on convicted Isis supporter cover using the internet and speaking in public."

E-jihad storage issues

E-jihad storage issues unpacked, discussing Google Drive and Dropbox. Discover More…

Canadian social media IS captive

Muhammed Ali was active on IS social media: GlobalNews.ca, ‘I just want to go back’: Canadian ISIS fighter captured in northern Syria speaks out



Bitcoin and IS

Kurdistan24, Islamic State using cryptocurrencies but not to launch attacks in Europe: Europol, 20 Sep 2018 "The Islamic State (IS) has used cryptocurrency such as Zcash to fund its terrorist activities online, but has not done so directly to finance attacks in Europe, the EU police agency Europol said in a recent report.

"In its 2018 Internet Organized Crime Threat Assessment (IOCTA), the law enforcement agency found that, while IS continues to use the internet and cyber-tools “to spread and inspire acts of terrorism,” it had not used such means in direct attacks on European soil."

Afaq - IT support for IS

9News, The secretive IT unit helping Islamic State supporters hide in dark corners of Internet, 24 Sep 2018 "Afaq's purpose is to help Islamic State jihadists and supporters to remain safe and secure online, while they actively recruit would-be fighters and spread violent propaganda across the Internet."

Mosul Eye

Guardian, Lucy Lamble, Small Changes, The Mosul historian who risked his life to blog about life under Isis – podcast, 26 Sep 2018 "When his beloved city was occupied by Islamic State, Iraqi Omar Mohammed was determined to document every atrocity – as anonymous blogger Mosul Eye" Essential listening

Debunking Myths on Gender and Extremism

Rachel Bryson, Debunking Myths on Gender and Extremism, Tony Blair Institute for Global Change, "In this collection of papers, experts weigh in on assumptions about women’s roles in violent Islamist extremism that hold back informed policymaking."

Lessons From ISIS: Using the Internet for Counter-Terrorism

The Quint, Lessons From ISIS: Using the Internet for Counter-Terrorism "Bloom and Daymon in their research paper titled ‘Assessing the Future Threat: ISIS’s Virtual Caliphate’ join a chorus of other researchers such as Charlie Winter and Haroro J Ingram from the International Centre for Counter-Terrorism (ICCT) at The Hague in highlighting how ISIS has, by design and impeccable execution, changed the way the internet can be used for radicalisation.."

I discuss similar themes in 'Hashtag Islam'.

Also see
Mia Bloom and Chelsea Daymon, Assessing the Future Threat: ISIS's Virtual Caliphate
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