(NationalSecurity.news) A new “kill list” allegedly being distributed by the Islamic State is calling on ISIS loyalists in the U.S. to target Americans, including police in Minnesota, State Department workers and ordinary citizens, Vocativ reported Wednesday.
A pro-ISIS “hacking” group that calls itself the United Cyber Caliphate distributed the kill list earlier this week, claiming to include lists of names, home addresses and email addresses belong to some 8,318 people, which makes it one of the longest targeting lists such ISIS-linked groups have distributed.
In a post uncovered by Vocativ on the messaging app Telegram that was written in English and Arabic, the caliphate called on supporters to “follow” those listed and “kill them strongly to take revenge for Muslims.”
The Web site reported further:
Most of the names and the accompanying addresses listed appear to belong to people in the United States, Australia, and Canada. Out of 7,848 people identified as being in the U.S. alone, 1,445 were listed as having addresses in California, 643 in Florida, 341 in Washington, 333 in Texas, 331 in Illinois, and 290 in New York. Another 312 names and addresses allegedly belong to people in Canada, while 69 allegedly belong to people in Australia. Another 39 are affiliated with the U.K. and the rest are listed with addresses in Belgium, Brazil, China, Estonia, France, Germany, Greece, Guatemala, Indonesia, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Jamaica, New Zealand, South Korea, Sweden and Trinidad and Tobago.
It wasn’t known if the list, which was posted to Telegram on Monday, boasts any new information or details that weren’t publicly available online. Also, it wasn’t clear why specific names and addresses were selected, whether they are related, or if they were just chosen at random.
In addition, the so-called cyber caliphate is dubious. A recent study by Flashpoint, an intelligence firm, showed that the United Cyber Caliphate—a merger of pro-ISIS groups—is incompetent when it comes to hacking. Their highest-profile “hack” involved taking credit for others’ work, according to the study.
Still, the latest list shows how ISIS-affiliated organizations claiming to be hacking coalitions are continuing to use a well-known tactic, even if it is potentially superficial: Post “kill lists” calling on ISIS supporters to target various groups of Americans or Americans in general.
Counterterrorism officials cannot agree on whether such lists are efforts to instill fear or whether those listed are actually in danger, according to The Wall Street Journal.
The United Cyber Caliphate also published satellite images on its Telegram channel showing U.S air bases around the world on Monday. The same images can be found on Google Earth, Vocativ reported.
Nevertheless, experts say simply ignoring such lists is not an option.
“They’re putting out the lists that they are finding online and they’re sending it to their followers and they are saying these are good people for you to attack,” Thomas Galati, chief of intelligence for the New York Police Department, told WSJ. “You can’t discount it.”
More:
- DNI Contradicts Obama, Others, Regarding The Threat ISIS Poses Of Launching ‘Paris-Style Attack’ In U.S.
- ISIS Operatives Infiltrated Europe As Early As 2014: Report
- Intelligence Director: ISIS Is The Greatest Non-State Threat To The U.S., Allies
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