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(Al-Ansar Media)
One
of the many media groups supporting ISIS operations online claimed that
the deadly wildfires in northern and southern California are
retribution for coalition bombings in Syria.
The image circulated online by Al-Ansar Media uses a photo of a burning building and misspells the state "kalifornia."
"O
america, This is the punishment of bombing Muslims in Syria," states
the text. "This is Allah's punishment for you. And in shaa Allah, you
will see more fires. Praise be to Allah."
The
Camp Fire in Butte County, north of Sacramento in California's Gold
Rush country, has claimed the lives of at least 48 people, according to
Cal Fire incident stats today. The blaze, which started Thursday, has
destroyed 7,600 residences and 260 commercial buildings, making it the
most destructive fire in the state's history as it ripped through
Paradise, Calif., at a speed of 80 acres per minute. It was 35 percent
contained today at 130,000 acres. The cause is still under
investigation.
The Woolsey Fire
has torched 97,620 acres in Ventura and Los Angeles counties after
starting on Thursday, and was 47 percent contained today. The blaze
resulted in the evacuation of Malibu, reaching the Pacific Coast
Highway. There have been two fatalities and 483 structures destroyed
including several celebrities' homes. The cause of this blaze is also
still under investigation.
ISIS
has not officially taken responsibility for either of the fires. The
terror group has previously suggested both wildland and commercial or
residential arson as an attack tactic.
This
time last year, as several wind-whipped blazes ravaged California, ISIS
highlighted the ferocity and toll of the wildfires in multiple issues
of their al-Naba newsletter, which usually focuses on news from around ISIS' occupied territories and conflict zones.
In January 2017, ISIS' Rumiyah magazine -- which was published in multiple languages including English yet is no longer produced by the terror group -- stressed to
would-be jihadists that "incendiary attacks have played a significant
role in modern and guerrilla warfare, as well as in 'lone wolf'
terrorism," claiming a November fire at a furniture factory in
Losino-Petrovsky, Russia, and highlighting scores of wildfires around
Israel that month as incidents that "demonstrated the lethality of such
an effortless operation."
Suggested target
locations for arson attacks, the magazine stated, "include houses and
apartment buildings, forest areas adjacent to residential areas,
factories that produce cars, furniture, clothing, flammable substances,
etc., gas stations, hospitals, bars, dance clubs, night clubs, banks,
car showrooms, schools, universities, as well as churches, Rafidi
[Shiite] temples, and so forth. The options are vast, leaving no excuse
for delay."
Jihadists
were advised to time their arson "preferably in the later part of night
to the early hours of morning when people are generally asleep," and
instructions were offered on how to block off exits to inflict
casualties. For wildfires, ISIS said to look for dry brush "as fire
cannot endure in damp or wet environments." Arsonists were encouraged to
leave the mark of ISIS somewhere near the fire site with spray paint or
black marker.
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