Terror Groups Operating Over the Internet

Intelligence and Terrorism Information Center
at the Center for Special Studies (C.S.S)

Special Information Bulletin
August 2004

Using the Internet to market terrorism: The Palestinian Islamic Jihad markets its terrorist messages using Internet sites supported by Western
(mainly American) companies (despite the fact it has been declared a terrorist organization by both the United States and the European Union)
(Revised and updated August 29, 2004)

Overview
1. Palestinian and international terrorist organizations make
massive use of the Internet to spread propaganda supporting terrorism and as
a means of maintaining contact between organizations (and headquarters),
their infrastructures and their target populations (often over enormous
distances).
2. The importance of the Internet as a means of marketing
terrorism became significantly greater after the events of September 11,
2001. That was because the Web makes it relatively easy for them to evade
the difficulties imposed by various governments (particularly the American
government). It also enables them to exploit liberal Western laws ensuring
freedom of speech to spread their propaganda without effective supervision
and with no censorship whatsoever .
3. The following case study examines the way the Palestinian
Islamic Jihad (PIJ) uses the Internet to spread its terrorist propaganda.

The PIJ Internet infrastructure — Survey
4. The PIJ operates three main and three subsidiary Internet
sites. A description of those sites and of the Internet companies supporting
them follows. 1

5. The three primary sites:- a. http://www.qudsway.com :
The site posts current notices from the organization, archival material
about its activities, publication of books and articles sponsored by the
PIJ, encouragement of terrorism against Israel and praise for the suicide
bombers.
b. http://www.palestineway.com : The contents of this site are similar to
those of Qudsway.
c. http://www.sarayaalquds.com
<> : This is the site of the organization's
operational-terrorist wing (the Jerusalem Battalions). It includes updated
documentation about the Battalions, archival material about the
organization's terrorist activities, publication of books and articles
sponsored by the PIJ, encouragement of terrorism against Israel and praise
for the suicide bombers.
6 The three subsidiary sites:-
a. http://www.jimail.com/abrar : It posts notices, information about the
organization's activities, publication of books and articles sponsored by
the PIJ, encouragement of the use of terrorism against Israel and praise for
the suicide bombers. It is inactive but directs surfers to the
organization's main sites.
b. http://www.rabdullah.com : This is the organization's site dedicated to
its current leader, Ramadan Abdallah Shalah . It documents his
pronouncements, activities and worldview in favor of an uncompromising armed
insurrection for the "liberation" of "all Palestine" and the establishment
of an Islamic state. It posts articles, lectures, speeches, pictures and a
biography of Shalah.
c. http://www.shikaki.com :
This is the organization's site dedicated to the memory of its founder and
leader, Fathi Shqaqi , who was killed in Malta in 1995. It documents his
pronouncements, activities and worldview in favor of an uncompromising armed
insurrection for the "liberation" of "all Palestine" and the establishment
of an Islamic state.

7. Insofar as can be verified , the organization's Internet
infrastructure is supported by Western companies located mainly in the
United States ; in one case it is supported by an Iranian company (See
Appendix A ). The PIJ appears on the lists of terrorist organizations
prepared by the United States and the European Union . Preference mainly for
the United States is not a matter of chance but rather convenience: it
features companies which can provide advanced technological support, the PIJ
can easily "disappear" among so many American and Western companies, and
because of freedom of expression laws, it does not strictly or effectively
control the sites of the various terrorist organizations (in the United
States reliance is placed on the First Amendment to the Constitution).
8. In that context, it is worthwhile to note that other
Palestinian terrorist organizations, such as Hamas and the Lebanese
Hezbollah, as well as international terrorist organizations such as —
paradoxically -- Al-Qaeda, all extensively use Western companies and
technology, particularly those in the United States.
9. Following Appendices describe the various PIJ Websites and
provide information about the companies supporting them.

Appendix A

http://www.qudsway.com

Home Page

1. This is a Palestinian Islamic Jihad Website . It posts
basic information about the PIJ and its past and present leaders; regular
reports on its terrorist attacks (and those of other organizations),
archival material, publication of books and articles sponsored by the PIJ,
encouragement of terrorism against Israel and praise for the suicide
bombers. It is frequently updated.
2.
Its ISP is Iranian:-
Telecommunications Company of Iran (TCI)
Data Communication Affairs
665 Shiraz Ave.
Mollasadra St.
Tehran 14358, Iran
+98 218029495
+98 218029494
mahdioun@mail.dci.co.ir

Appendix B

http://www.palestineway.com

Home Page

1. This is a Palestinian Islamic Jihad Website . It posts
announcements about the organization and its activities, archival material,
publication of books and articles sponsored by the PIJ, encouragement of
terrorism against Israel and praise for the suicide bombers. It is updated
frequently and its contents are similar to those of qudsway.com.
2. Its ISP is VONOC, located in Englewood, Colorado.
3. Its host server is web-host-plus.com, probably based in
London. ( Note : In early July 2004 it was learned that web-host-plus.com is
actually based in Bucharest, Romania. Its current status is unclear.
4.
The site is registered in Beirut.

Note : The site now (August 29, 2004) appears in skeleton form only.
Abrarway.com has begun operating separately, using the services of an
American company which is a Level3 customer. Level3 has made it clear that
it has no customer relationship with the Palestinian Islamic Jihad . It also
made it clear that it alerted a customer which did provide the PIJ with its
services. For the complete text of the Level3 disavowal, see Appendix G .

Appendix C

http://www.sarayaalquds.com

Home Page

1. This is the site of the Jerusalem Battalions, the PIJ's
operational-terrorist wing. It posts updated information about the
Battalions, material about the organization's terrorist activities (wills of
the "martyrs," words of praise in their memories, announcements, etc.) and
publication of books and articles sponsored by the PIJ. The site is updated
less frequently than Qudsway.com and Palestineway.com.
2. Its ISP was an American company receiving its services from
Level3. Level3 has made it clear that it has no customer relationship with
the Palestinian Islamic Jihad . It also made it clear that it alerted a
customer which did provide the PIJ with its services. For the complete text
of the Level3 disavowal, see Appendix G .
3.
The site was registered in Beirut .

Note: The site is no longer operative (August 29, 2004).

Appendix D

http://www.jimail.com/abrar

Home Page

Note: Above is the home page reached for jimail.com/abrar.
1. This is the PIJ's site. It posts announcements, information
on the organization's activities, publication of books and articles
sponsored by the PIJ, encouragement of terrorism against Israel and praise
for the suicide bombers. It is inactive but serves to direct surfers to the
organization's main sites.
2. Its ISP is Alabanza, based in Baltimore, Maryland.
3. The site is registered in Beirut.

Appendix E

http://www.rabdullah.com

Home Page

1. This is the organization's site dedicated to its current
leader, Ramadan Abdallah Shalah . It documents his pronouncements,
activities and worldview in favor of an uncompromising armed insurrection
for the "liberation" of "all Palestine" and the establishment of an Islamic
state. It posts articles, lectures, speeches, pictures and a biography of
Shalah. The site is not updated.
2. Its ISP was an American company receiving its services from
Level3. Level3 has made it clear that it has no customer relationship with
the Palestinian Islamic Jihad . It also made it clear that it alerted a
customer which did provide the PIJ with its services. For the complete text
of the Level3 disavowal, see Appendix G .
3.
The site was registered in Beirut.

Note: The site is no longer operative (August 29, 2004).

Appendix F

http://www.shikaki.com

Home Page

1.
The PIJ Website dedicated to the memory of its founder and leader, Fathi
Shaqaqi (killed in Malta in 1995). It documents his pronouncements,
activities and worldview in favor of an uncompromising armed insurrection
for the "liberation" of "all Palestine" and the establishment of an Islamic
state.
It is almost identical in structure to Ramadan Shalah's site.

2. Its ISP was an American company receiving its services from
Level3. Level3 has made it clear that it has no customer relationship with
the Palestinian Islamic Jihad . It also made it clear that it alerted a
customer which did provide the PIJ with its services. For the complete text
of the Level3 disavowal, see Appendix G .
3.
The site was registered in Beirut.

Note: The site is no longer operative (August 29, 2004).

Appendix G
Dr. Erlich --

We believe your August 2004 report is misleading because it
strongly implies that the PIJ is a customer of Level 3's. To the contrary,
Level 3 has no customer relationship whatsoever with that group.

Level 3 operates one of the largest Internet backbones in the world, and
the company's network carries a substantial percentage of the world's
Internet traffic every day. The company sells services on a wholesale basis
to a wide variety of communications service providers, including ISPs and
web-hosting companies. Level 3 itself is not a retail ISP, nor does it
provide web-hosting services.

Level 3's global security department conducted an investigation following
issuance of your report. The investigation determined that a U.S. company
that buys services from Level 3 was an underlying provider of hosting
services to some of the web sites identified in the report. Level 3 alerted
its customer; the customer conducted its own investigation into the matter
and has indicated it will decommission the web sites.

Thank you.

Arthur Hodges
Vice President, Corporate Communications
Level 3 Communications