Al-Qaida in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP), the most active branch of the terror network, has released an English-language magazine advising would-be militants on how to torch cars and cause traffic accidents.
The magazine, released on militant websites, also warns France to pull back from Mali and lists 11 public figures in the west, including the author Salman Rushdie, who it says are “wanted dead or alive for crimes against Islam”.
AQAP, based in Yemen, has previously plotted to bring down international airliners and is seen by western governments as a danger to oil-producing Gulf states and major crude shipment routes.
In a section entitled “open source jihad”, the magazine gives tips on how to set fire to parked cars, including advice such as “don’t get petrol on yourself”, and suggests spilling oil on road bends to cause crashes.
An editorial in the magazine warned France to end its military intervention in Mali, citing the US experiences in Afghanistan and Iraq, which it said made “them bite their fingertips in regret”.
The magazine also called on militants to attack 11 public figures in the west, including Rushdie, whose 1988 novel The Satanic Verses was seen by many Muslims as blasphemous.
Among others are the Dutch politician Geert Wilders and the Canadian-Somalian activist Ayaan Hirsi Ali, both strong critics of Islam, and the US pastor Terry Jones, who staged a public burning of copies of the Qur’an.
