The Mujaheddins’ Internet Expertise Is Fine-Tuned

Sheik Abu Saraya al Qureishi (an obvious alias) has launched an online course to instruct al Qaeda’s worldwide membership in the tricks of surfing and using the Internet without leaving a trace to their identity.

In particular, they are learning how to surreptitiously access the sites of such international business majors as airlines, shipping firms and banks, as well as the main television networks, newspapers and the rich and famous. They are being taught how to dowload data from those sites as vehicles for forwarding information to al Qaeda – undetected.

DEBKA-Net-Weekly’s counter-terror sources report that a lesson of instruction has appeared daily in the last three weeks on al Qaeda’s sites. Students can ask questions and request advice when they encounter problems in applying the new techniques. Answers are posted the next day.

According to the traffic to these sites, the students taking part in the course run into thousands from all over the world. Some may not be members of the Islamist terror group, but are just taking advantage of an opportunity to acquire techniques they can use.

Another important item on the syllabus is instruction on how to use popular talkback sites and blogs for sneaking overt and hidden messages unseen behind the surface texts without betraying al Qaeda’s hand. Two separate lessons were devoted to methods of transmitting messages without the sender’s IP popping up anywhere.

Sheik al Qureishi has promised to teach the jihadis how to use sites displaying video film whose use is proliferating in news, feature films and advertising on Internet sites. This medium, he says, opens up a whole new dimension for the covert transmission of messages.

He explains the video’s potential as a carrier is infinite because of the vast range of colors available. Each hue can be used to disguise a separate coded message.

The course will end on a mundane note: Managers of al Qaeda forums, sites and chatrooms will be taught how to protect them against… hackers.