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EVIL DEAD 2
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CAIRO, Egypt (AP) -- Al Qaeda video messages of Osama bin Laden and
Ayman al-Zawahiri can now be downloaded to cell phones, the terror
network announced as part of its attempts to extend its influence.
A still image of Osama bin Laden released by al Qaeda's media wing, Al-
Sahab.
The announcement was posted late Friday by al Qaeda's media wing, al-
Sahab, on Web sites commonly used by Islamic militants. As of Saturday,
eight previously recorded videos were made available including a recent
tribute to Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, the former al Qaeda in Iraq leader
killed by U.S. forces in Iraq in June 2006.
"The elite jihadi media group presents the first batch of al-Sahab
videos to be downloaded to cell phones," the announcement said.
Ben Venzke, the head of IntelCenter, a U.S. group that monitors and
analyzes militant messages, said it was not the first time al-Sahab has
released videos designed for cell phones.
He said the group has been releasing them for years, but that between
September and December, a few video messages did not come with versions
for cell phones.
"They might just be filling in some of the gaps, or just trying to
release some that had come out before," Venzke said in an e-mail to The
Associated Press.
In a written message introducing the new cell phone videos, al-Zawahiri,
al Qaeda's No. 2 figure, asked followers to spread the terror group's
messages.
"I asked God for the men of jihadi media to spread the message of Islam
and monotheism to the world and spread real awareness to the people of
the nations," al-Zawahiri said.
Videos playable on cell phones are increasingly popular in the Middle
East. The files are transferred from phone to phone using Bluetooth or
infrared wireless technology.
Clips showing former Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein's execution in December
2006 showed up on cell phones soon after his death. In Egypt, images
showing police brutality have been passed around via cell phones
including one video that showed an arrested bus driver being sodomized
with a stick by police in the fall 2006.
Video and audio tapes from various Islamist groups including al Qaeda
are available on militant Web sites but require a computer and a fast
Internet connection -- often rare in the region -- to download.
But the eight videos currently available to download to cell phones by
al-Sahab range in size from 17 megabytes to 120 megabytes, requiring
phones to have large amounts of free data capacity. Al-Sahab has
promised to release more of its previous video messages in cell-phone
quality formats.
The terror network has been growing more sophisticated in targeting
international audiences. Videos are always subtitled in English, and
messages this year from bin Laden and al-Zawahiri focusing on Pakistan
and Afghanistan have been dubbed in the local languages, Urdu and
Pashtu.
In December, al Qaeda invited journalists to send questions to al-
Zawahiri. The invitation was the first time the media-savvy al Qaeda
offered outsiders to "interview" one of its leaders since the September
11, 2001, attacks.
--
Rob Cypher balst32@aol.com
robcypher.livejournal.com
YOU WILL BE ASSIMILATED - RESISTANCE IS FUTILE
Ayman al-Zawahiri can now be downloaded to cell phones, the terror
network announced as part of its attempts to extend its influence.
A still image of Osama bin Laden released by al Qaeda's media wing, Al-
Sahab.
The announcement was posted late Friday by al Qaeda's media wing, al-
Sahab, on Web sites commonly used by Islamic militants. As of Saturday,
eight previously recorded videos were made available including a recent
tribute to Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, the former al Qaeda in Iraq leader
killed by U.S. forces in Iraq in June 2006.
"The elite jihadi media group presents the first batch of al-Sahab
videos to be downloaded to cell phones," the announcement said.
Ben Venzke, the head of IntelCenter, a U.S. group that monitors and
analyzes militant messages, said it was not the first time al-Sahab has
released videos designed for cell phones.
He said the group has been releasing them for years, but that between
September and December, a few video messages did not come with versions
for cell phones.
"They might just be filling in some of the gaps, or just trying to
release some that had come out before," Venzke said in an e-mail to The
Associated Press.
In a written message introducing the new cell phone videos, al-Zawahiri,
al Qaeda's No. 2 figure, asked followers to spread the terror group's
messages.
"I asked God for the men of jihadi media to spread the message of Islam
and monotheism to the world and spread real awareness to the people of
the nations," al-Zawahiri said.
Videos playable on cell phones are increasingly popular in the Middle
East. The files are transferred from phone to phone using Bluetooth or
infrared wireless technology.
Clips showing former Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein's execution in December
2006 showed up on cell phones soon after his death. In Egypt, images
showing police brutality have been passed around via cell phones
including one video that showed an arrested bus driver being sodomized
with a stick by police in the fall 2006.
Video and audio tapes from various Islamist groups including al Qaeda
are available on militant Web sites but require a computer and a fast
Internet connection -- often rare in the region -- to download.
But the eight videos currently available to download to cell phones by
al-Sahab range in size from 17 megabytes to 120 megabytes, requiring
phones to have large amounts of free data capacity. Al-Sahab has
promised to release more of its previous video messages in cell-phone
quality formats.
The terror network has been growing more sophisticated in targeting
international audiences. Videos are always subtitled in English, and
messages this year from bin Laden and al-Zawahiri focusing on Pakistan
and Afghanistan have been dubbed in the local languages, Urdu and
Pashtu.
In December, al Qaeda invited journalists to send questions to al-
Zawahiri. The invitation was the first time the media-savvy al Qaeda
offered outsiders to "interview" one of its leaders since the September
11, 2001, attacks.
--
Rob Cypher balst32@aol.com
robcypher.livejournal.com
YOU WILL BE ASSIMILATED - RESISTANCE IS FUTILE
