Islamist Propagandist Abdullah Al-Faisal Has Been Linked To 52 Other Extremists
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U.S.-Designated Terrorist Extradited From Jamaica To New York
Islamist Propagandist Abdullah Al-Faisal Has Been Linked To 52 Other Extremists
(New York, N.Y.) – Last week, U.S.-Specially Designated Global Terrorist
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Islamist propagandist Abdullah al-Faisal wasextradited
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to New York from Jamaica to face charges of supporting terrorism by conspiring
to recruit followers and fighters forISIS
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considered one of the most influential terrorists in the world and is
well-known for his use of fiery online rhetoric and militant propoganda. Many
of his social media accounts have been suspended, although channels on the
Telegram and PalTalk communication platforms affiliated with his Islamist
propaganda group—Authentic Tauheed—remain online. The Counter Extremism Project
(CEP) has noted that even though its main website has been shut down, Authentic
Tauheed and its propaganda remain online through a WordPress site. Authentic
Tauheed also featured Faisal’s lectures in a podcast that remains available on
multiple websites.
To read CEP’s Extremism Spotlight: Abdullah al-Faisal’s Ties to Extremists,
please clickhere
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.
CEP has documented a total of 52 extremists linked to Faisal. Of these, 26 are
violent extremists, 12 are successful or attempted foreign fighters, and 18 are
propagandists (some extremists are counted in multiple categories). As a
popular cleric among jihadists, Faisal had amassed thousands of followers on a
variety of social media websites, promoting murder, violence against women, and
condoning the use of chemical weapons on non-believers.
Faisal’s lectures, website, and videos influenced attacks at The Ohio State
University in 2016 and in Garland, Texas, in 2015, among others. Trinidadian
Imam Umar Abdullah credited Faisal’s propaganda for influencing the more than
100 fighters who traveled abroad from Trinidad and Tobago, where Faisal’s
recordings first gained popularity in the 1990s. Faisal has also since been
linked to such notorious propagandists and violent extremists as pro-ISIS
propagandistAnjem Choudary
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Germaine Lindsay <[link removed]>
, and “underwear bomber”Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab
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the most notorious propagandists of all time, al-Qaeda operativeAnwar al-Awlaki
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directly with Faisal.
Faisal was first arrested in 2003 by in the United Kingdom for inciting hatred
and soliciting murder against minority groups. He was deported to Jamaica after
serving a four-year sentence and placed on an international terrorist watch
list. On August 25, 2017, the New York County District Attorney’s Office
charged Faisal with five counts of recruiting and providing support to those
seeking to commit acts of violence and terrorism in connection with ISIS after
reviewing evidence from an undercover police officer’s online interactions with
al-Faisal.
To read CEP’s report, Abdullah al-Faisal’s Ties To Extremists, please click
here <[link removed]>.
To read CEP’s Abdullah al-Faisal resource, please click here
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Abdullah al-Faisal’s Online Presence
Abdullah al-Faisal previously maintained an extensive web presence through the
Islamist website Authentic Tauheed. Authentic Tauheed maintained a Blogspot
blog at www.authentictauheed.com and a Twitter account, @AuthenticTauhid.
Online since 2010, the Twitter account had more than 1,000 followers as of
December 2017. The account advertised a twice daily lecture by Faisal. The
Twitter account has since been suspended. The Authentic Tauheed website
maintained a blog that featured Faisal, as well as al-Qaeda in the Arabian
Peninsula propagandistAnwar al-Awlaki
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British propagandistOmar Bakri Muhammad
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owners also maintained accounts on Twitter, Facebook, and YouTube. Most of
these accounts have since been suspended.
Website: The Authentic Tauheed website contained hundreds of Faisal’s lectures
and essays. The site used Google’s Blogger platform, with Go Montenegro Domains
as the registrar and Domains by Proxy (owned by Go Daddy) as the registrant
contact. The site has since been suspended. The Blogspot website’s precursor
website, hosted by WordPress, remains online and maintains an archive of
Authentic Tauheed posts from 2010. One Faisal sermon from August 13, 2010,
declares that Islam will be “victorious over all (other) religions” while the
“kuffar [non-believers] slander and reject faith in the prophets.” That same
sermon also declares, “Capitalism and democracy will be soon in their graves!”
A July 31, 2010, post by Faisal labels the Bible an “enemy of humanity” that
promotes incest. The site also hosts sermons by U.S. Islamist propagandistAhmad
Musa Jibril <[link removed]>,
who has reportedly influenced Westerners to fight in the Syrian conflict.
WordPress’sUser Guidelines <[link removed]>
prohibit content that “threatens, incites, or promotes violence, physical harm,
or death.”
Facebook: Authentic Tauheed’s primary Facebook account had more than 11,300
followers as of December 2017. The account has since been suspended. A second
Authentic Tauheed Facebook account remains online but has not been updated
since 2017 and has only 17 followers as of August 17, 2020. A third Authentic
Tauheed account remains online but has not been updated since 2014 and has 233
followers as of August 17, 2020. That page advertises Authentic Tauheed’s
active PalTalk account and defunct Twitter account. A Facebook group,
previously called “Authentic Tauheed Question and Answer,” had 6,415 members as
of August 17, 2020. The group changed its name to “o” on May 15, 2020. It has
no other public posts. According to the group’s description, “Shaykh Abdullah
Faisal, Jamaica ...will be happy to answer your ??s here.”
Podcasts: Authentic Tauheed podcasts of Faisal lectures remain available on
multiple websites: Listen Notes, Blubrry,
[link removed], and Player FM.
YouTube: Authentic Tauheed’s YouTube channel, ATmovement2000, hosted 48 videos
mostly featuring Faisal. The account has since been suspended. A YouTube search
for “Abdullah Faisal” led to 2,360 results on August 17, 2020.
PalTalk: The Authentic Tauheed PalTalk channel remains active and had 1,744
followers as of August 17, 2020. The channel is owned by a user named “Shaikh
Faisal_2000.” The channel appears to be inactive and has not gained new members
since 2017.
Telegram: An Authentic Tauheed channel on Telegram had 97 members as of August
17, 2020. The channel features links to Faisal’s speeches, including praise of
ISIS’s caliphate. The channel has not been updated since 2016.
Twitter: Authentic Tauheed’s Twitter account had more than 1,000 followers as
of December 2017 but has since been suspended.
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