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ISIS loyalists are brainstorming more creative ways to inflict violence against their enemies. A prominent user put out a call on an online forum frequented by supporters of the terror group, asking for outside-the-box ideas for terrorism. More than dozen Islamic State sympathizers added and discussed ideas, Vocativ web monitoring found.
Bizarre ideas have surfaced on ISIS forums before—using explosives birds or poisoning Russian vodka factories—but this discussion, posted last week, reaches new heights.
“Here, we will collect suggestions and initiatives… for the development of our military production, with innovation and invention,” the prominent user writes in his first message. He adds that since there are “traitors and hidden users” inside the forum, the followers should “send the most genius and excellent ideas in private messages.”
“Everything starts from a fantasy. Even the idea of flying looked like a dream until it became reality,” wrote one of the users in this thread after suggesting the using of hot air balloon for ISIS military purposes.
Here are some of the other ideas listed in the forum:
– Booby-trapped hot air balloons. One ISIS supporter suggested building hot air balloons, booby-trapping them with explosive devices and launching dozens of them against enemy warplanes. That way, he suggests, ISIS could “sky ambush” the enemy’s planes.
–Booby-trapped remote controlled cars. They could be used to attack cars and people stopped at checkpoints, a user claims.
– Hot air balloons with remote-controlled machine guns. A user proposes launching hot air balloons capable of reaching 10 kilometers in altitude, armed with machine guns that can be remote controlled. (The poster also notes that enacting this plot will require the development of software and multiple engineers.)
–Prank phone calls: Another ISIS supporter wants to hack the personal cellphones of enemy soldiers and their families and conduct psychological warfare against them. The user suggests calling a soldier’s father and saying “your son was killed today.”
-Drones: Another post says drones could be used to drop toxic, chemical or biological substances on enemy targets.
–Suicide hot air balloons. In a final hot air balloon-related proposal, a poster wants to build a “suicide air battalion,” that uses hang gliders or hot air balloons to carry suicide bombers over enemy territory so they can jump out and land on enemy targets.
While the ideas in the thread were patently absurd, a few users focused on more conventional modes of terrorism. Posters talked about ways to track down and kill enemy pilots while they’re on vacation or kidnap soldiers’ children or family members, as well as ways to improve ISIS capacity to manufacture weapons. Another user suggested building “sleeping cells” of the terror organization inside foreign countries, which could provide financial support to members fighting in ISIS territory.
The most outlandish idea of all, however, was uncovered by Vocativ on a separate post by an ISIS loyalist on the messaging app Telegram just before the holidays. Writing in English, the poster suggested ISIS enact terror against the West with booby-trapped Christmas trees. Offering nothing to explain how such an attack would be feasible, he suggests “Booby-trapping the tree with strong explosive materials” and then waiting for the right time.
“Make Christmas hell for them,” the loyalist writes.
