Inspire, the official magazine of Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula, published its latest issue recently. Inside, among articles with titles like “Under Calm Ash,” “Why Did I Choose Al-Qaeda?” and “Sincere Advice From a Muhajir,” there’s “Open-Source Jihad,” a recurring feature dedicated to bringing “strength, power, and intelligence” to Inspire‘s readership. This edition features instructions for building your own car bomb.
At first glance, the tutorial — with its images of balloons, matches, and light hardware — looks like a science experiment for kids. Then, there’s the text: “This type of car bomb is not usually used to destroy buildings, but is very effective in killing individuals.” “America is our first target, followed by United Kingdom, France and other crusader countries.”
The frankness about violence, ceremonious tone, and general cluelessness regarding America — one passage especially encourages jihadis to target “tennis stadiums,” which are “visited by thousands of people, and high profile people, especially the US Open” — almost make the piece feel too note-perfect to be true, like something out of a terrible Jeff Dunham bit. But alas, the rigorous, painfully specific instructions confirm that it’s real. And while the location isn’t mentioned specifically, the article is bookended by photos of Times Square — where Faisal Shizad made a terrible attempt at holy war in 2010.
If you’d like to peruse the issue — and please, please, please don’t try this at home, or on 42nd Street, for that matter — you can download the whole thing here.
(Photo: Aymann Ismail/ANIMALNewYork)
