New York Times reporter and ISIS expert Rukmini Callimachi tweeted this must-read threat on Thursday where she explains how ISIS was able to influence Sayfullo Saipov, the suspect in this week’s terror attack in New York City.
“He followed ISIS’ instructions to the letter”:
1. I just finished reading the criminal complaint filed against Sayfullo Saipov. He followed ISIS' instructions to the letter. Follow here: pic.twitter.com/H7kbTY3Va0
— Rukmini Callimachi (@rcallimachi) November 2, 2017
No remorse:
2. This is a guy who appears to have 0 remorse. He requested an ISIS flag for his hospital room. Said he "felt good about what he's done" pic.twitter.com/8iuSGdQvOS
— Rukmini Callimachi (@rcallimachi) November 2, 2017
Planned for a year:
3. He began plotting attack 1 yr ago after hearing speech by ISIS leader Baghdadi calling for Muslims in US to avenge killings in Iraq pic.twitter.com/rEZt5ShllA
— Rukmini Callimachi (@rcallimachi) November 2, 2017
And the attack was on the one-year anniversary of this speech by ISIS leader Baghdadi:
4. I looked up the Baghdadi speech. It was exactly 1 year ago on Nov 2, 2016 that he released audio, as Coalition forces advanced on Mosul pic.twitter.com/fDhIQQ5umA
— Rukmini Callimachi (@rcallimachi) November 2, 2017
5. Quote from the Baghdadi speech that caught my eye calls on "martyrdom-seekers" to create rivers of blood. @siteintelgroup's translation: pic.twitter.com/ziV8yLIbvG
— Rukmini Callimachi (@rcallimachi) November 2, 2017
According to the complaint, Saipov started planning how to use a truck in an attack 2 months ago:
6. Complaint says that 2 months ago, attacker began pondering how to use a truck in order to "inflict maximum damage against civilians" pic.twitter.com/2AIGobDF5f
— Rukmini Callimachi (@rcallimachi) November 2, 2017
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And that he chose Halloween to inflict “maximum damage against civilians”:
7. He rented truck on Halloween for a 2-hr window with no plans of returning it. He wanted to drape ISIS flag over truck, but decided not to pic.twitter.com/Kz1vcL4w4J
— Rukmini Callimachi (@rcallimachi) November 2, 2017
8. 10 days before the attack, he rented a truck at same facility to practice making turns. He chose Halloween bc of # of civilians in street pic.twitter.com/DLlcBGTYf8
— Rukmini Callimachi (@rcallimachi) November 2, 2017
9. I find this timeline insane: At 2:06 pm on day of attack, he picks up truck, agreeing to a 75-min lease. He starts mowing ppl dow after 3 pic.twitter.com/GCWs1SLN3Z
— Rukmini Callimachi (@rcallimachi) November 2, 2017
Here are the detail of the ISIS connection:
10. Everything up to now is in line with ISIS messaging: 1) Attack at home in retaliation for Iraq deaths 2) Use a truck 3) Target civilians
— Rukmini Callimachi (@rcallimachi) November 2, 2017
11. It's about to get way more specific. Pls read my penultimate thread explaining instructions in ISIS' magazine: https://t.co/z2JyhEKea0
— Rukmini Callimachi (@rcallimachi) November 2, 2017
12. The terror group's magazine said to use a truck, drive until you cant, jump out & harm ppl with a secondary weapon. Also leave a note: pic.twitter.com/l39JIm6F3R
— Rukmini Callimachi (@rcallimachi) November 2, 2017
13. That's pretty much what this guy does. Over several blocks, he crushes people in the bike lane, then crashes into bus. Then he gets out. pic.twitter.com/JO4pzBFyr0
— Rukmini Callimachi (@rcallimachi) November 2, 2017
14. Here's what else he had on him: A bag of knives. (The ISIS magazine says use a knife or a gun in secondary attack). pic.twitter.com/bgxs5IPRaK
— Rukmini Callimachi (@rcallimachi) November 2, 2017
15. Authorities also recovered 2 cellphones at the scene. They appear to contain a trove of ISIS propaganda: pic.twitter.com/xQ08LfoyYg
— Rukmini Callimachi (@rcallimachi) November 2, 2017
Now, here’s the important question: Who helped him get these videos?
16. If this was 2014 or 2015, I'd tell you he probably found these videos online. In 2017, it's very hard to find them on the open web.
— Rukmini Callimachi (@rcallimachi) November 2, 2017
17. ISIS content posted on YouTube etc is typically taken down within hours. So how does someone end up with so many of these videos?
— Rukmini Callimachi (@rcallimachi) November 2, 2017
18. Radicalized young men, drawn to ISIS, congregate in chatrooms on the app Telegram. That's where the videos are now posted & shared pic.twitter.com/u576seRivT
— Rukmini Callimachi (@rcallimachi) November 2, 2017
19. ISIS chatrooms in Telegram can only be entered if you have the "key," which is a string of gibberish. How do you get the key? pic.twitter.com/4OpruGlGkn
— Rukmini Callimachi (@rcallimachi) November 2, 2017
20. You can only get key from someone who's already inside the chatroom. I was first invited in 2014 by an ISIS supporter. Who invited him?
— Rukmini Callimachi (@rcallimachi) November 2, 2017
As for why ISIS hasn’t claimed credit yet, that’s actually to be expected since the suspect is still living and in custody:
21. With all the ISIS links found so far, I'd like those who insist that ISIS claims everything to explain to me why ISIS hasn't claimed it?
— Rukmini Callimachi (@rcallimachi) November 2, 2017
22. This is the worst jihadist attack in NY since 9/11. Yet ISIS has made no claim. Most of their claims take 12 hrs or less. It's been 31+
— Rukmini Callimachi (@rcallimachi) November 2, 2017
Details here:
23. My attempt to answer that is this quick-hit piece with help from @einfal @AmarAmarasingam @JcBrisard: https://t.co/KATkGBMh96
— Rukmini Callimachi (@rcallimachi) November 2, 2017
24 Final caveat: This summer ISIS took 1mo 2claim Paris attack. They could still claim this but if history is our guide I don't expect them2
— Rukmini Callimachi (@rcallimachi) November 2, 2017
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