Wednesday, May 6, 2015

Revealed: The British jihadi fighting for ISIS in Syria who 'helped' Texas Muhammed cartoon gunmen for terror group's first attack on US soil

Revealed: The British jihadi fighting for ISIS in Syria who 'helped' Texas Muhammed cartoon gunmen for terror group's first attack on US soil

  • Texas gunman urged his followers to read messages by British jihadi just hours before the Garland terror attack
  • Junaid Hussain responded by praising the shooting at the art exhibition 
  • He appeared to know details of the attack before information was released 
  • 21-year-old was jailed in 2012 for stealing information about Tony Blair
  • Birmingham-born jihadi later fled to Syria and has been involved in a number of serious cyber attacks by the terrorist group 


Terrorist: Junaid Hussain, 21, is a former computer hacker turned jihadi who joined ISIS after fleeing his home city of Birmingham in 2013
Terrorist: Junaid Hussain, 21, is a former computer hacker turned jihadi who joined ISIS after fleeing his home city of Birmingham in 2013

The two gunmen who carried out ISIS' first terror attack on American soil are feared to have been helped by a Syria-based British jihadi who was once jailed for stealing Tony Blair's personal details.

Just hours before the shooting in Garland, Texas took place, a Twitter account understood to belong to gunman Elton Simpson, 31, demanded readers follow a second account controlled by a notorious ISIS fighter who uses the nom de guerre Abu Hussain al-Britani.

That man is known to be Junaid Hussain, 21 - a former computer hacker turned jihadi who joined ISIS after fleeing his home city of Birmingham in 2013.
And within minutes of the first bullets being fired and while details of the attack were still vague, Hussain posted messages praising the gunmen as Muslim 'brothers' and revealed their target had been a exhibition where artists were drawing pictures of the Prophet Mohammed.

The digital connection between Simpson and Hussain raises the chilling prospect that the Briton may well have known about the Texas terror attack in advance.
Details of the online relationship between Simpson and Hussain emerged as ISIS militants claimed responsibility for Sunday's attack, which left 57-yer-old security guard Bruce Joiner with gunshot wounds. 

Both Simpson and his housemate Nadir Soofi, 34, were shot dead by police officers within seconds of the pair parking their vehicle and opening fire outside the conference centre where the right-wing American Freedom Defense Initiative was organising the cartoon contest.
In the hours before the attack, Simpson used his Twitter account 'Sharia is the Light' to post a series of messages about an impending 'Texas attack'.

Among these posts was a message urging his followers to subscribe to posts by Hussain, who has long been active on the social network using the name Abu Hussain al-Britani.

Elton Simpson
Nadir Soofi
Shot dead: Elton Simpson, pictured left, and Nadir Soofi, right, opened fire outside an anti-Islam event on Sunday evening in Texas. Simpson is understood to have been communicating with Hussain on Twitter
Chilling: In the hours before the attack, Simpson used his Twitter account 'Sharia is the Light' to post a series of messages about an impending 'Texas attack'
Chilling: In the hours before the attack, Simpson used his Twitter account 'Sharia is the Light' to post a series of messages about an impending 'Texas attack'
Plug: Among these posts was a message urging his followers to subscribe to Junaid Hussain's Twitter account. Hussain has long been active on the social network using the name Abu Hussain al-Britani
Plug: Among these posts was a message urging his followers to subscribe to Junaid Hussain's Twitter account. Hussain has long been active on the social network using the name Abu Hussain al-Britani
Sickening: Just seconds after the first shots were fired in Garland, Hussain posted what  appeared to be inside information about the attack - revealing two men were behind it and that an art exhibit was targeted
Sickening: Just seconds after the first shots were fired in Garland, Hussain posted what appeared to be inside information about the attack - revealing two men were behind it and that an art exhibit was targeted


Threat: The apparent link between Junaid Hussain (pictured left and right) and at least one of the Garland shooters prompted experts to question whether the Briton had been in some way connected to the attack

Simpson's final message read: 'The bro with me and myself have given bay'ah [allegiance] to Amirul Mu'mineen. May Allah accept us as mujahideen [jihadists]. Make dua [pray]. #texasattack.'

The name Amirul Mu'mineen is an Islamic title meaning 'Commander of the Faithful' and is commonly used by ISIS sympathisers to refer to the terror group's leader - Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi.

Just seconds after the first shots were fired in Garland, Hussain emerged on Twitter to post what at the time appeared to be inside information about the attack - revealing two men were behind it and that an art exhibition had been targeted.
'2 of our brothers just opened fire at the Prophet Muhammad (s.a.w.) art exhibition in Texas', he wrote. A few minutes later he tweeted: 'They Thought They Was Safe In Texas From The Soldiers of The Islamic State.'

A short time later, Twitter suspended both Hussain and Simpson's accounts - effectively removing their posts from the social network.
Killed: FBI crime scene investigators look at the bodies of the two killed gunmen outside the Curtis Culwell Center in Garland, Texas on Monday
Killed: FBI crime scene investigators look at the bodies of the two killed gunmen outside the Curtis Culwell Center in Garland, Texas on Monday
Debris of a car blown up by police as a precaution near the Curtis Culwell Center  in Garland, Texas following the attack on an anti-Muslim event
Debris of a car blown up by police as a precaution near the Curtis Culwell Center in Garland, Texas following the attack on an anti-Muslim event
Attack: The bodies of Simpson and Soofi are seen next to their vehicle as it is searched for explosives
Attack: The bodies of Simpson and Soofi are seen next to their vehicle as it is searched for explosives
Target: Police stand guard outside the Curtis Culwell Center, which hosted Sunday a provocative contest for Prophet Muhammed cartoons
Target: Police stand guard outside the Curtis Culwell Center, which hosted Sunday a provocative contest for Prophet Muhammed cartoons

The apparent link between Hussain and at least one of the Garland shooters prompted experts to question whether the Briton had been in some way connected to the attack.



Daveed Gartenstein-Ross 'a senior fellow at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies, an adjunct assistant professor in Georgetown University’s security studies program, this morning said: 'The Garland attackers didn't receive training from ISIS. The interesting question is whether Junaid Hussain knew about the attack in advance'.
Convert: At some point Hussain groomed Sally Jones - a 45-year-old single mother from Kent. She is understood to now live with him in Syria
Convert: At some point Hussain groomed Sally Jones - a 45-year-old single mother from Kent. She is understood to now live with him in Syria

'ISIS' claim of responsibility for the Garland attack provides little new information. Simpson's loyalty to ISIS had already been clear,' he added.

Rukmini Callimachi, security correspondent at the New York Times added that, before the account was deleted, Simpson's 'Sharia is Light' Twitter handle had been in contact with some 'big names' in the ISIS fold.

Included in that list was Hussain, whom Callimachi identified as the terror group's 'top hacker'.

The news comes as it was revealed an activist linked to the international hackers' collective Anonymous tipped off Garland police about an eminent attack on an anti-Islam event two days before it happened - but the red flag went unnoticed.
The Daily Dot reported that Garland Police Department had received advance warning of the attack two days earlier, courtesy of a woman living outside the US who has identified herself as an affiliate of the Anonymous network.

On Friday evening, the unnamed Anonymous member came upon references to a looming attack in Garland, Texas, made by the user @AnsarAlUmmah49.
The woman then sent a message to the Garland Police Department's official Twitter account that read: 'we feel something is in preparation about an exposition in your city. Please follow this # twitter.com/AnsarAlUmmah49...’

But despite her efforts, her tip never made it to the desk of the right people at the department. Garland PD spokesperson Joe Hard said he knew nothing of the Twitter warning until yesterday.
Sally Jones - a 45-year-old single mother from Kent - converted to Islam shortly before travelling to Syria along with her 10-year-old son in order to marry Junaid Hussain
Sally Jones - a 45-year-old single mother from Kent - converted to Islam shortly before travelling to Syria along with her 10-year-old son in order to marry Junaid Hussain
Extremists: Sally Jones - a 45-year-old single mother from Kent - converted to Islam shortly before travelling to Syria along with her 10-year-old son in order to marry Junaid Hussain
Past life: Former punk rocker Sally Jones has been identified as playing a key role in ISIS' recruitment of thousands of English-speaking wannabe jihadis living in the West
Past life: Former punk rocker Sally Jones has been identified as playing a key role in ISIS' recruitment of thousands of English-speaking wannabe jihadis living in the West
Investigation: Agents work on the scene near to where the men opened fire before they were shot dead by a traffic officer. Investigators destroyed some of the belongings found inside the back of the suspects' car, pictured, as a precaution
Investigation: Agents work on the scene near to where the men opened fire before they were shot dead by a traffic officer. Investigators destroyed some of the belongings found inside the back of the suspects' car, pictured, as a precaution
Members of the FBI Evidence Response Team investigate the crime scene outside  the Curtis Culwell Center
Members of the FBI Evidence Response Team investigate the crime scene outside  the Curtis Culwell Center
Hussain first became known to the authorities in early 2012 when, as an 18-year-old member of the hacking collective TeaMp0isoN, he confessed to stealing former Prime Minister Tony Blair’s personal details and blocking an anti-terror hotline with prank telephone calls.

He was jailed for just six months for the crime, which saw him publicly post sensitive information about the Blair family online, after hacking into former special advisor Katy Kay’s email account.

Using the online alias ‘Trick’, Hussain uploaded phone numbers and addresses, as well as the ex-PM’s email address and National Insurance number, at the beginning of 2011.

But he didn’t stop there – continuing to post private information about Mr Blair’s wife Cherie and their children, his sister-in-law Lyndsey Booth and friends, as well as sitting MPs and Lords.

At the time his defence barrister, Ben Cooper, claimed his crimes were no worse than the antics of the Bullingdon Club – an exclusive society dining club for Oxford University students, and put it down to a 'teenage prank'.

Hussain also bombarded the national anti-terror hotline with prank calls - leaving the numbers ‘permanently engaged’ after calling it 111 times in three days, Southwark Crown Court heard.

Upon being released from prison, Hussain fled to Syria where he put his hacking skills to use on behalf of the terror group and became a prominent face of the terror group on Twitter.
Hacked: More recently Hussain was identified as the main suspect in the hacking of Twitter and Facebook accounts belonging to U.S. Central Command
Hacked: More recently Hussain was identified as the main suspect in the hacking of Twitter and Facebook accounts belonging to U.S. Central Command
Terror: Posted to the Twitter account was this ominous threat to American soldiers which follows a similar video warning posted by Abu Mohammed al Adnani, spokesman for ISIS
Terror: Posted to the Twitter account was this ominous threat to American soldiers which follows a similar video warning posted by Abu Mohammed al Adnani, spokesman for ISIS
Threats: The Twitter hack posted the names, telephone numbers and home addresses of 4-Star US generals
Threats: The Twitter hack posted the names, telephone numbers and home addresses of 4-Star US generals

At some point Hussain groomed Sally Jones - a 45-year-old single mother from Kent - and convincing the former punk rocker to convert to Islam, and travel with to Syria with her 10-year-old son in order to marry the militant.

Thanks to their savvy use of social media, the couple have since been identified as playing a key role in ISIS' recruitment of thousands of English-speaking wannabe jihadis living in the West.

Last August Hussain - who is easily recognised online thanks to his repeated use of a profile picture showing him with a scarf over his face and an assault rifle in his hands - was feared to be behind a cyber plot to empty British bank accounts to fund terrorism in the Middle East.

British financial institutions were should to have been aware of the attacks and were working overtime to prevent their customers' funds being extracted.

'The hackers are targeting the accounts of the rich and famous, VIP clients of banks and big businesses,' a source told the Daily Mirror at the time.

'This is an international fraud on an unprecedented scale and the result could be a bottomless pit of money to fund their campaign of terror,' the source added.

More recently Hussain was identified as the main suspect in the hacking of Twitter and Facebook accounts belonging to U.S. Central Command.

That incident saw threatening messages and pro-ISIS propaganda videos being posted from official social media accounts belonging to the United States Defense Department.

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