American college grad suspected of coordinating ISIS social media campaign

Brett T. | 9:52 PM on September 04, 2014

ABC News reports that a Northeastern University graduate is suspected of joining ISIS and helping run its social media operation.

Official: Boston man, wanted by FBI, suspected of doing ISIS social media – http://t.co/B9H9dPNTtH – more on @WNTonight

— Brian Ross Investigates (@BrianRoss) September 4, 2014

Ahmad Abousamra, a dual American-Syrian citizen, was born in France in 1981 but grew up in the upscale Boston suburb of Stoughton.…

But Abousamra’s life changed drastically in 2004 when prosecutors say he and co-conspirators traveled to the Middle East with the goal of fighting and killing Americans in Iraq.

Once abroad, two alleged co-conspirators of Abousamra’s, Tarek Mehanna and another unidentified individual, worked as effectively the “media wing” of al Qaeda in Iraq (AQI), a 2009 indictment against Abousamra and Mehanna says. AQI later would evolve into the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS).

…

Terrorism observers have noted ISIS’s media savvy, from viral meme-like postings and hashtag campaigns on Twitter to elaborate full-production videos – efforts that can multiply the perception of ISIS’s breadth and power in Syria and Iraq.

Photo of Ahmad Abousamra, Mass. man who may be using his computer to support ISIS http://t.co/5sno71QmrV pic.twitter.com/BjIReIBsY3

— The Boston Globe (@BostonGlobe) September 5, 2014

Breaking tonight: #FBI is reportedly investigating a #Boston man as #ISIS social media/propaganda chief. #KellyFile pic.twitter.com/pA4eQEx67p

— Megyn Kelly (@megynkelly) September 5, 2014