The terrorist organization Islamic State (ISIS) has been found to be using the short-video social media platform TikTok to recruit young suicide bombers to carry out attacks during Christmas celebrations. According to a report published in Sun, there are dozens of accounts on the platform posting ISIS propaganda.
TikTok, a popular platform among youth, is being used to incite hatred towards non-Muslims.
#EXCLUSIVE: ISIS using TikTok to recruit young suicide bombers in bid to carry out Christmas attacks https://t.co/hxwA5p39IO pic.twitter.com/vDAWL3ieLC
— The US Sun (@TheSunUS) November 21, 2021
The report suggests that one of the videos that they come across urged the supporters to initiate terrorist attacks in the Western countries during the Christmas holidays to induce mass casualty. The video described Christmas as “the celebration of the Kufar and Crusaders”. It said, “They do not believe in Allah, and they make fun of the sacred. They are Shaytan (Devil) slaves.” The video showed several scenes of Christmas markets and celebrations, and the narrator added, “Prepare yourself, O soldier of Allah to shed the blood of these Kufar.”
The narrator encouraged the viewers to become suicide bombers and attack the crowds while wearing clothes like “them”. He encouraged the viewers to bring explosives well-hidden under the disguise and to “explode it and plant panic and terror in their hearts.”
Sun said in the report that the video was uploaded on an account that was being used to spread ISIS propaganda. The account has been functional for the last 18 months and has been watched thousands of times. Not only this account but several others were found to have been doing the same over the short-video platform. Another account has a video of a woman in a burqa who posted surveillance video of buildings and structures in Germany. The caption of the video read, “May Allah accepts you into Paradise”. The bio of the account read, “A lion fights for its prey until it has it and turns its enemies into its flock”.
The UK has been facing a “severe” terror threat level since the car bomb attack in Liverpool. Security agencies believe there is a possibility that more “lone wolf” attackers have been prepared during the lockdown period due to the Covid-19 pandemic. These self-radicalized individuals might carry attacks once the restrictions are completely lifted.
Notably, on November 17, Milan Police in Italy had arrested a 19-year-old woman for alleged involvement in international terrorism. The Police found videos of beheadings, material generated by the propaganda wing of ISIS and a photo of a young man who allegedly blew himself outside Kabul airport in August that claimed the lives of 183 people, among other objectionable content.
In April 2019, ISIS launched a serial bomb attack in Sri Lanka on Easter. Hundreds of people were killed and injured in the simultaneous attacks that took place across 8 different locations in 3 cities of the island nation.
