A former ISIS operative revealed the Islamic state’s qualifications for future members, and what the Islamic State values most is quite telling. Harry Sarfo told the New York Times the group specifically targets people in the U.S. because of their access to guns and their somewhat naive attitudes.
Sarfo was part of an ISIS intelligence unit, which served as an internal police force with the goal to exporting terror throughout the world. The Times revealed how the organization won’t turn anyone away, but Sarfo said they specifically target people in the U.S. and Canada for their intelligence (or lack thereof), which makes them easier to radicalize:
“For America and Canada, it’s much easier for them to get them over the social network, because they say the Americans are dumb — they have open gun policies. They say we can radicalize them easily, and if they have no prior record, they can buy guns, so we don’t need to have no contact man who has to provide guns for them.”
Sarfo went on to say they keep members underground in Europe and look for “clean men,” who have no preexisting ties to radical groups. He said using these operatives helps them with surprise attacks:
“These people are not in direct contact with these guys who are doing the attacks, because they know if these people start talking, they will get caught. They mostly use people who are new Muslims, who are converts.”
The sprawling profile reveals a number of different methods of recruitment and training, which are indeed plentiful. Overall, the piece illustrates how dangerous the group can be, and how they’ve managed to infiltrate a league of minds throughout the globe. You can read the full piece here.
(Via The New York Times)