Fourth Issue of the English-Language AQAP Magazine

The fourth issue of Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula's English-language magazine "Inspire", released January 16, is above all a recruitment effort aimed at Muslims in the West. It features a cover story by Yemeni-American sheikh Anwar Al-Awlaki, content by Osama bin Laden, subtle threats against the White House and Capitol building, and more.

On January 16, 2011, Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula's (AQAP) media wing Al-Malahem released the fourth issue of the English-language jihadist magazine "Inspire." An overarching theme throughout this issue of "Inspire" is outreach and recruitment, as exemplified by the numerous offers and suggestions to readers in the West to contact Al-Qaeda – including the provision of direct email addresses.

Threats are also a recurrent theme in this issue of "Inspire", and magazine features threats of various kinds. Among the clearly stated ones is the cover story, by Yemeni-American sheikh Anwar Al-Awlaki, focuses on whether it is permissible to expropriate the wealth of the unbelievers in the U.S. and other Western countries. The cover also features an article on attacking non-Muslims, as well as Yemeni soldiers, by Sheikh Al-Abbab, and an article on destroying buildings by an "AQ [i.e. Al-Qaeda] Chief." Also prominently featured in the magazine are an address by Osama bin Laden and another by American Al-Qaeda spokesman Adam Gadahn.

Subtle and intimated threats are another recurring theme, and the magazine includes numerous such threats – against the White House and the Capitol building, against Times Square in New York, and more. Suggested methods for carrying out attacks are by machine gun, anthrax, and other means.

The ongoing series of articles continued in this fourth issue of "Inspire" aim to prepare the would-be jihadist or new recruit to jihad as to what to expect in his new life. There are installments in a series on what to expect in jihad, on the jihadi experience with a focus on the "military theory of open fronts", and a first installment in a new series on weapons training.

The magazine also aims to assure those readers who are not in a hurry to leave everything behind to go to battle that they can also participate by assisting those waging online jihad.

The battle lines are clearly marked out by the founder and editor of "Inspire" in a column titled "Rafidha Focus." The writer explains why Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP) is currently targeting the Shi'a. He writes that doing so is legitimate – because they form "the third side of the triangle of enemies for the Muslim ummah," along with the "Zionist-Crusader alliance" and the "apostate regimes". Glorifying and showcasing AQAP's successes, he enumerates several: the attack on the American Embassy in Sana'a, Yemen; attacks on Western tourists in Yemen; the failed Christmas Day 2009 bombing, and the recent Operation Hemorrhage.