ISIS releases holiday attack list of U.S. churches
Thousands of churches in the United States appear on Islamic State's list of targets to attack during the holiday season.
According to Vocativ, the attack list was disseminated on the terror group's social media group called "Secrets of Jihadis." A user who uses the name "Abu Marya al-Iraqi" announced in Arabic the Islamic State's plan to get the group's lone wolf jihadists to "turn the Christian New Year into a bloody horror movie."
The same announcement was also distributed using the Telegram, an encrypted messaging app, wherein manuals on how to prepare and use weapons were also provided. The series of messages came with a hit list of churches across the country.
In a separate post, a member called on "the sons of Islam" to attack "churches, well-known hotels, crowded coffee shops, streets, markets and public places." The member also included a directory of addresses in the United States, Canada, France, and the Netherlands.
It may be recalled that in June, ISIS released a hit list of more than 8,000 names and addresses, although no known attacks stemmed from the list, Vocativ reported.
The Islamic state has claimed responsibility for several acts of terror in Europe and the Middle East over the past few months. One of such is the Dec. 11 Cairo church attack that claimed 24 Christian lives.
"Let all the disbelievers and apostates in Egypt and everywhere know that our war on polytheism is ongoing, and that the State of the Caliphate – with permission from Allah the Almighty – will continue to spill their blood and grill their bodies, so that there is no sedition and the religion is all for Allah," the Islamic State stated in relation to the Cairo bombing, as translated by SITE Intelligence Group.
The Islamic State also claimed involvement in the Christmas market attack in Berlin last Dec. 19, where 12 people were killed and 48 were injured.
Across the U.S. and Europe, authorities have prepared to counter and respond to terror attacks during the Holiday season.
