BBC News, John Cantlie: Ten years since IS kidnap of British journalist in Syria "Today marks 10 years since British photojournalist John Cantlie was kidnapped by Islamic State militants in Syria.'

Jane Flanagan, The Times/Apple News (Paywall), Isis funds terror with ‘Tinder’ love scams "... (But) the con artists behind a new wave of “Tinder terror” that has snared a growing number of lonely hearts on South Africa’s version of the dating app are not your typical love rats or fraudsters ...

AP/Guardian, American woman who led Islamic State battalion in Syria sentenced to 20 years "Allison Fluke-Ekren’s children told the court that their mother had a ‘lust for control and power’ and deserved the maximum sentence"

Brody McDonald, GNET, Extremists are Seeping Back into the Mainstream: Algorithmic Detection and Evasion Tactics on Social Media Platforms "The re-emergence of pro-ISIS accounts ...

The Islamic state (ISIS or Daesh) has claimed responsibility for the shrine attack in the Iranian city of Shiraz on Wednesday, a statement on their telegram channel said, according to Reuters. https://t.co/wRNRwZKtGE

— Iran International English (@IranIntl_En) ...

Mirror, First Brit allowed back to UK from Syria camp with her child after ISIS war "A woman and her child are the first Britons to have been allowed back to the country from a camp in north-east Syria - the identity of the mum and kid has been kept ...

Lucas Webber, Militant Wire, ISKP Depends on Archive Sites, Social Media, and Messaging Applications to Spread Propaganda (paywalled article) "The Islamic State’s (IS) Khurasan Province (ISKP) stands out as a regional ...

Karen Allen, Institute for Security Studies (ISS), Terrorists’ use of tech in West Africa must be contained, 15 Sep 2022 "Incidents are rising in which social media and messaging apps are integral to terrorists’ modus operandi." This issue ...

Jayden Collins, LadBible, Islamic State enlists power of NFTs to recruit and spread terror, 6 Sep 2022 "A digital announcement from the Islamic State, praising an attack against the Taliban in Afghanistan has been minted and ...

BBC News, Shamima Begum: Spy for Canada smuggled schoolgirl to Syria "Shamima Begum, who fled the UK and joined the Islamic State group, was smuggled into Syria by an intelligence agent for Canada."

Evening Standard, Man convicted of sharing Islamic State terror propaganda on social media for second time "A man has been found guilty of sharing so-called Islamic State propaganda material ...

Steve Swann, BBC News, Islamic State 'Beatles': How 2011 arrests led to convictions, 18 Aug 2022 "Hostages freed by the Islamic State terror cell, known as The Beatles, gave vital evidence to identify their captors, say police."
BBC ...

This is an excellent podcast series from 'Story of our Times'. It provides a level of depth about Cantlie as an individual, and how he dealt with the challenges facing him. The podcast does not pull any punches. There is plenty of detail about the Islamic State and its treatment of captives. The podcast is presented by Manveen Rana and Anthony Loyd.

Bruno Bayley, Vice, Photos From the Rise and Fall of the Islamic State "Lorenzo Meloni’s new photobook explores the Islamic State’s post-colonial origins, its terrifying ascendence and steep collapse."

Global News, Canadian was ‘prolific propagandist’ in ISIS, U.S. prosecutors say, 25 Jul 2022 "A 39-year-old IT worker who grew up in Toronto, Khalifa left Canada in 2013 for Syria, where he underwent training and used his English-language skills to narrate ...

BBC Monitoring, Jihadist Media Watch, Newsletter ...

BBC Monitoring, Jihadist Media Watch Newsletter

• Analysis ...

Super Mario iconography, represented in this intriguing post on Twitter.

ISIS supporters still using Super Mario Bros 1 iconography — a game fronted by an Italian plumber, presumably radicalized now — to push anti-US and anti-Iran tropes. pic.twitter.com/Ko0tLYN8fK

— ...

Discussion from IS supporters on tech group is highlighted by JihadoScope:

Islamic State supporters debate authenticity of message that pro ISIS tech group AFAQ/EHF (Electronic Horizons Foundation) is shuttering. A source of recent controversy after its server was hacked in March, AFAQ ...

CNN, ISIS 'Beatles' cell member Alexanda Kotey sentenced to life in prison "Before Kotey's sentencing, 12 family members of the victims and two former hostages of the group gave gut-wrenching statements in court of their loss and continued struggles ...

BBC News, IS captors used 'sadistic' torture methods, court hears, 6 Apr 2022

"A journalist once held by captors from the Islamic State group has told a US court of "sadistic" and "terrifying" tactics used against hostages.

"Those in captivity ...

Dept of JusticeJ, U.S. Citizen Sentenced to 20 Years’ Imprisonment for Attempting to Provide Material Support to ISIS

"In the months leading up to his travel, (Bernard Raymond) Augustine watched ISIS propaganda, ...

Reuters/Guardian, IS terrorists who kidnapped James Foley ignored efforts to negotiate, court hears, 5 April 2022 "Both Foleys testified that they first learned of James’s death from reporters calling for reaction. Michael Foley ...

Graeme Wood, The Atlantic, Why an ISIS Propagandist Abandoned Islam, 31 March 2022 "“Seeing individuals dedicate themselves to tyrannical death cults led by suicidal maniacs is bad enough. Knowing that I may have contributed ...

Copenhagen Post, Two men found guilty of planning a terrorist attack on the Tour de France "The court placed emphasis on the discovery of numerous effects that are used to make bombs and the men’s movements on social media and the internet – which linked them to Islamic State."

The National, Trial of alleged ISIS 'Beatles' member begins in US, 29 Mar 2022

"The trial of a man believed to be a member of an ISIS group nicknamed "The Beatles" for their British accents, and that beheaded US hostages ...

BBC News, Ericsson workers kidnapped after being sent to negotiate with IS, 27 "The telecoms company Ericsson put contractors' lives at risk by insisting they continued working in territory controlled by the Islamic State (IS) group in Iraq, according to a leaked Ericsson report ...

BBC News, Islamic State leader Abu Ibrahim al-Qurayshi killed in Syria, US says, 3 Feb 2022

"The leader ...

John Davison, Reuters, Islamic State hits back, aided by power vacuum in Iraq and Syria, 2 Feb 2022 A report by John Davison which is as comprehensive as it is depressing (but not surprising!). "Nearly three years after ...

Arab News, US woman charged with leading all-female Daesh battalion that targeted colleges "The US Justice Department on Saturday unsealed charges against an American woman who led an all-female Daesh battalion terror team that planned attacks against US universities."

Evening Standard, Shamima Begum could return to the UK after court victory "The 22-year-old’s chances of returning home have improved by the court victory of a 16-year-old terror suspect who claimed she was the victim ...

Sunday World, Lisa Smith travelled to Turkey study with scholar who wrote ISIS propaganda, court told

"Ms Smith (39) from Dundalk, Co Louth has pleaded not guilty to membership of an unlawful ...

BBC News Pidgin, Burkina Faso Coup: Military say dem don seize power from President Roch Kaboré

Internet disruption in Burkina Faso.

"On Sunday, mutinying troops demand di sacking of military chiefs and more resources to fight militants dey linked to di Islamic State (IS) group and ...

Palm Beach Post, Judge sentences Corey Johnson to life in prison for killing 13-year-old at 2018 sleepover

"The defense argued that Johnson – described by one defense psychologist as "an ...

Moustafa Ayad, The Daily Beast, These “cyberarmies” battling it out on Facebook are resorting to a bizarre weapon of choice to knock each other down. 2 Jan 2022

"The “Soldiers of the Righteous Caliphate” group was a microcosm ...

Mark Scott, Politico, Islamic extremists sidestep Facebook’s content police, 19 Dec 2021

"The posts — some tagged as “insightful” and “engaging” via new Facebook tools to promote community interactions — championed the ...

Joshua Nevett, BBC News, Finnish teacher who secretly taught IS children in Syrian camps by text, 10 Dec 2021

"In messages sent via WhatsApp, she taught subjects ranging from mathematics to geography in both ...

Wired, An ‘Alt-Jihad’ Is Rising On Social Media, 8 Dec 2021

This is an excellent piece by Moustafa Ayad: "They are Generation Z jihadists—part TikTok dance, part Taliban victory lap, and part Islamic State punishments and pronouncements..."

James Harkin, GQ, The last hostage: the story of John Cantlie

"From 2019: As troops closed in on the last remnants of Isis in Syria, one question was about to be answered: was captured British journalist John Cantlie still alive? And, if ...

Daniele Garofalo, Militant Wire, Islamic State Propaganda and Operations in Nigeria, 15 Nov 2021 "On 30 October 2021, all official Islamic State channels, on various platforms and sites, published video number five in the "Makers of Epic ...

Ahmed El Shamsy, New Lines Magazine, The Hoax in the ISIS Flag "Claiming to channel pure Islam, the Islamic State fell for a long-debunked 19th century hoax" An interesting long-read.

Palm Beach Post, 'He was very unhappy,' Corey Johnson's mom tells jurors for first time after son accused of fatally stabbing boy "Jennifer Johnson spoke of learning of Corey's conversion ...

Department of Justice, U.S. Attorneys, Northern District of Illinois, Chicago Man Convicted of Attempting To Provide Material Support to ISIS, 19 Oct 2021

"Evidence presented at trial revealed that ISIS and its supporters disseminated ...

Reuters,Iraqi forces capture senior Islamic State leader, PM says

"Iraqi security forces have captured a senior member of the Islamic State group who was a deputy to slain leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi and oversaw its finances, ...

Arab News, Canadian subject of NYT ‘Caliphate’ podcast admits fabricating story

"Shehroze Chaudhry, 26, who called himself Abu Huzayfah, spread false tales of his escapades on social media in 2016, including that he had been an executioner for Daesh."

Jason Meisner, Chicago Tribune, Federal trial begins for ex-DePaul student accused of writing computer code to help spread ISIS propaganda, 4 Oct 2021

"Beginning in 2019, ...

BBC News, Islamic State: Canadian accused of being 'voice behind the violence'

"Saudi-born Mohammed Khalifa is accused of being "the voice behind the violence" by providing English narration on some 15 videos."

Ian Burrell, i Newspaper, A media war has broken out among extremists, with IS hating the Taliban for its ability to steal the limelight

Ian Burrell's article on 'media war' in Afghanistan:

"“There is a media war,” says Mina Al-Lami, ...

AP/The Guardian, British-born Islamic State suspect set to plead guilty to charges in US

"Alexanda Amon Kotey is accused of conspiring to torture and behead US and European hostages in Syria."

Express and Star, ‘Topshop terrorist’ jailed for sending IS videos to undercover policewoman, 1 Sept 2021

This case refers to downloading and distribution of IS materials: "Ibrahim Roger Anderson, ...

I've already recommended this podcast. This latest episode (Episode 3, Part 1) maintains the series' high standards.

Podcast - Mosul and the Islamic State - Opportunities Lost (Part 1: Democracy)

Another mention for this series, this time with the two-part episode on the complexities of jihadi campaigns in Mosul. Recommended. Available on multiple platforms: I have ...

Middle East Eye, Pro-Trump social network inundated with alleged Islamic State propaganda: Report

""On Facebook, there was one of these accounts that I follow that is known to be Islamic State, which said: 'Oh, Trump announced ...

References to internet radicalisation influences here: Independent, Shamima Begum says she was a ‘dumb kid’ when she left to join Isis

"In an interview for a new documentary from the al-Roj prison camp in Syria where she is still being ...

LiveLeak, the Infamous Site for Beheading Videos, Is Gone "Now, LiveLeak is gone, replaced with a softer sounding video website called ItemFix that eschews the violence and gore that made LiveLeak a staple of the dark side of the internet."

Two important threads relating to Abu Muhammad al-Furqan, a key figure in the publication of ISIS online materials prior to his death in 2016:

Interesting thread on online related issues https://t.co/KRY6LVkv8l

— Gary Bunt (@garybunt) May ...

Thanks to Mina al-Lami for this one:

Unusual thread for foodies: The ISIS Kitchen! The jihadist group continues to put out food images showing its militants breaking their fast and praying during the month of Ramadan 1/ pic.twitter.com/3tnlB6YMb9

— ...

Robert J. Bunker, SWJ Book Review – Islamic State’s Online Propaganda: A Comparative Analysis

Some familiar themes in this new book by Miron Lakomy, although the price is off-putting in its current format. So, here's a review ...

Feras Kilani, New Lines, A Caliph Without a Caliphate: The Biography of ISIS’s New Leader

Original source from BBC Arabic

"Under Qardash’s leadership, ...

BBC News, Sahayb Abu: Would-be rap star jailed for IS-inspired terror plot Sky News, Drill-rapping jihadist Sahayb Abu jailed for ...

Guardian, London Isis supporter found guilty of plotting terror attack

"An Islamic State supporter who rapped about decapitations and wearing suicide vests has been found guilty of plotting to run amok with a sword ...

AFP/Rudaw, Activists in race to save digital trace of Syria war

"The page exhibiting footage that violated YouTube's community standards could not be restored because Al-Mutez Billah, a citizen-journalist, had been executed by the Islamic State group three years earlier ...

Independent, Trial date set for British ISIS militants the ‘Beatles’, accused of murdering journalists and aid workers

"El Shafee Elsheikh and Alexanda Kotey were extradited after US agreed not to seek death penalty."

BBC News, Afghan war: Female TV workers 'shot dead by IS' in Jalalabad

"The three women killed in Jalalabad were aged between 18 and 20, and had recently finished high school. They worked in the dubbing department of the privately-owned Enikas TV station, said its head, Zalmai Latifi."

John Beck, Rest of World, Funding the needy, or funding terror?

"Last year, online fundraisers began to appear on behalf of al-Hol residents. Many were seeking to finance escapes, others to pay for food and supplies. (While some donations have likely gone toward ...

Lizzie Dearden, Independent, Alleged terror plotter watched porn after Isis videos and aspired to be ‘like Alan Titchmarsh’

"Sahayb Abu, 27, denied planning an atrocity and told the Old Bailey his efforts were focused on starting ...

Deborah Haynes, Sky News, Into the Grey Zone: The 'offensive cyber' used to confuse Islamic State militants and prevent drone attacks

"Two top officials overseeing UK cyber operations ...

Arab News, Crypto terror: Pakistan warns of digital currency crime spike

"Police in Pakistan say the use of digital currencies, including bitcoin, for international terror financing, as well as crimes such as extortion and ransom, is on the rise as authorities move to crack down on illegal methods of ...

Daily Beast, NYT Returns Peabody Award for ‘Caliphate’ Podcast After Admitting Reporting Was Crap

"The New York Times announced late Friday that it was returning a Peabody Award it won in 2018 ...

Arab News, Exposed: UK Daesh cell fundraising for jailed jihadi brides

"Undercover journalists spoke with a “fixer” in Turkey before exposing a “courier” in London collecting what he thought was a £4,500 ($5,987) donation to the operation."