10 Methods to Detect and Foil the Plots of Spies
Muharram 12, 1432 A.H, Sunday, December 19, 2010
In the name of Allah, the Beneficent, the
Merciful.
All praise to due to Allah, the creator and sustainer of the
Universe. All praise to due to Him who said:
"And whether you keep your talk
secret or disclose it, verily, He is the All-knower of what is
in the hearts. (Qur'an 67:13)"
And may His peace be upon the Final Prophet, who said:
“Maintain truthfulness, for truthfulness
leads to righteousness, and righteousness leads to Heaven. A
man continues to maintain truthfulness until he is recorded in
Allah’s book as truthful. Refrain from lying, because lying
leads to blatant evil, and evil leads to the fire. A man
continues to lie until he is recorded in Allah’s book as a
liar. (Bukhari, Muslim, Abu Dawood and Al-Tirmithi)."
..and upon his family and his companions and his followers.
To proceed:
Allah said in His Book:
And when the disbelievers plotted
against you to capture or to kill you or to expel you; they
were plotting and Allah was plotting also, but Allah is the
Best of Plotters. (Qur'an 8:30)
With this in mind, and in light of recent events, most notably
the arrest of our brother in Oregon (may Allah keep him
steadfast and free him), I have decided to record and write
down 10 methods which, through my own personal experiences,
will shed light onto the tactics used by spies and/or
informants to entrap and ultimately arrest Muslims, and the
ways to defect and foil these plots.
# One #
A spy will always start with "grooming." The process of
grooming way take several months. Sometimes this information
and join and be active on a forum or in a masjid for several
months alone before they even make contact with the individual
they seek to entrap. Once they make contact, the dialogue is
typically small. Such topics as translations, finding nasheeds,
looking for a husband/wife, or best places for halal food are
discussed, simply because they are low key. These are used to
gain trust and not seem blunt, because bluntness (i.e. talking
about Jihad from day one) raises red flags. A spy may groom
their target for months before mentioning Jihad, and even
then, they will start out small, with such topics as "did you
like the new video by As-Sahab" or "what is your favorite
Jihadi nasheed."
# Two #
You may notice red flags in the form of lies and
inconsistencies. Such red flags can include changes in
stories, which are typically elaborated upon once you make it
known that you are aware in the changes in their stories. For
example, a spy may mention he is a student in an American
university. However, being smart, you notice he comes online
or is at the masjid during what would be normally considered
as school hours. When you say "I thought you were in school"
they will quickly change their story to accommodate with a
statement such as "I am taking online classes" or "I only go
to night school." Watch for small things which may seem
insignificant, such as the mentions of family members, a job,
or knowledge of a particular topic. If it is revealed that
this person has told one lie, even if it involves something
small, take precautions that everything may very well be a
lie.
# Three #
Other red flags include major statements. These typically
include claims to be a member of a Mujahideen organization, or
to be in contact with Mujahideen or particular Shayook, or to
have known personally or met various leaders of the
Mujahideen. This should be obvious. Anyone who makes these
claims is either a liar, or if they are truthful, then they
are extremely jahil when it comes to security, both for
themselves and for the Mujahideen whom the represent.
# Four #
A spy will typically claim to be busy, most likely with school
studies. This personally will frequently make apologies for
not being around as a result of studying for midterms or doing
homework. Spies use this ploy to make themselves seem normal,
as if they have a life that can be related to. This does not
mean that someone Mujahideen are not students and hard at work
with studies, because some in fact are. However, if one really
seeks Jihad, and in particular Shahadah by means of an
Istishhadi or Fidaye mission, it is unlikely their primary
focus is schooling. They excuse of schooling is used most
frequently, as opposed to health problems or a job, possibly
because a target who is being groomed may feel that an
unhealthy person is unfit for Jihad or a person who has a job
and thus pays taxes is in some was a collaborator. Regardless
of the reasons, this excuse and constant apology for a late
reply, even it is sent a day or two after your message to
them, is quite common.
# Five #
Spies will ask their targets to be "specific" and "clear." For
example, if you say you say you are interested in Jihad, they
will ask if you mean physical Jihad. If you mention you have
knowledge of firearms, they will ask what kind of firearms and
what do you know. One must watch their words at all times, or
better yet, say nothing. They reason spies ask their targets
to be precise is not because they don't understand you, but
rather because if and when you are arrested, they want to make
sure a jury will understand what you meant and thus convict
you. If you are vague then there is a chance a jury will not
convict. If you keep you mouth shut, then there is a chance
you will not even be arrested. A spy may or may not make
threats themselves, but will wait for you to do the talking.
After all, it you they want, and no matter what threats a spy
says, he cannot get into any trouble for making them. They
want you to talk and be specific.
# Six #
In the process of grooming, a spy will always accept you. They
will accept your manhaj and not debate it, even if they say it
is different from their own. Typical behaviors such as
smoking, listening to music, or hanging photos are never
condemned by spies if they target says that they do this;
spies may in fact claim to even do these things themselves.
They will always answer personal questions and take no offense
when you ask, because after all, they are lying. If you are a
revert to Islam and make mention of sinful behaviors in your
life prior to accepting Islam, a spy will not seem to care at
all. Spies never appear to get mad at or disagree with their
targets, except under one condition. This condition is if they
target appears to break away from or become disenchanted with
the idea of Jihad. Then they spy will badger their target,
typically by bringing up their past words or using techniques
to make them feel guilty. Only if the target seems to be
against the Jihad which the spy is talking about - whether it
is Al Qa'idah or Jaish e Muhammad - will they spy become or
appear to become upset.
# Seven #
Ask yourself, what does this person trust you? In a world
where literally anyone can be a spy, why does this person
trust you? Why are they claiming to be a Mujahid, and telling
this to a person who they met over a computer or at the masjid?
Why are they telling you they want to conduct Jihadist
operations or make hijrah? You cannot know if anyone in
sincere, and this is the sad reality. Think about why they
would trust you of all people, and not someone else. The
answer is because they are seeking to arrest you, and this is
part of their grooming process.
# Eight #
Now ask yourself, if they already trust you, why do they need
you? If they want you to make hijrah with them, ask yourself
why they are not going alone or with someone else. If they
need someone to carry out an operation on the home-front, as
yourself, what do they pick you. If you look at the events of
Oregon and learn from them, you will see that it was a group
of "brothers" who in fact spies that recruited our noble
brother, may Allah free him. One can now ask himself "if there
was already a group of brother, amongst them a bomb maker, why
did they need someone else to drive the car?" If an individual
already claims to know how to build a bomb, why would they ask
you to plant it? Is it because they are afraid to die? Is it
because they want to make more bombs? Or, or than likely, is
it because they want to entrap you? This is especially true in
such scenarios that contain multiple spies. If there is
already a group who is claiming to be Mujahideen and preparing
an attack, what do they need from you?
If they claim to be Fidayeen, why do they
need one more?
Why not recruit ten more, why
not use one less?
Why do they ask
you to help them train if they already claim to have knowledge
of firearms and explosives?
Why do they need a cameraman; cannot one of them film the
training?
Sometimes when an operation is to be carried out, if is you
who is asked to plant the bomb. Ask yourself why do they want
you to plant they bomb or become the Fidaye? And if they
already have a plan, why do they trust you, a relative
stranger, to help them? These questions must be asked.
# Nine #
Spies will use excessive talk and training. Most operations,
especially an istishhadi operation, does not need months upon
months of training, but spies will make it appear as though it
does. If they operation involves a bomb, there will be
numerous dry runs or explosive demonstration. Why? For a
shooting type Fidaye attack, spies will request months of
training. Note also spies will more than likely ask to train
on your property and to use your firearms if you have any.
These types of operations do not need the types of planning
spies often specify, and especially not the the degree the
specify. The first reason for this is to groom you and gain
your trust. And the second reason is to ultimately delay the
operation itself, which is, obviously a set up, after all.
With regards to excessive talk, follow the aforementioned
precautions of method five. Spies will want you to do all they
talking. They will typically ask for your idea and your input
and if you think anything can be changed or improved. They
will ask you what you think would be a suitable target. They
want for you to say that you desire to become an istishadi or
that you seek to kill other people. Remember, silence is
golden.
# Ten #
Finally, if you suspect that you have fallen victim to
entrapment of a spy, there are actions which should be taken.
Obviously, you must cut all contact with the person you
suspect of being a spy. However, beforehand it may be
beneficial to tell them that you have in fact become
disenchanted with Jihad. It may even be wise to claim that you
have lost interest in Islam! Lie, lie, lie! Remember, this is
a spy you are talking to. After which, it may be best to
disappear. One need not give a reason, or they may use an
excuse such as their wife is pregnant or they are moving away.
It may be wise to change user names on forums or switch email
accounts. Also important, if possible, do not let this
individual know that you are aware that they are a spy.
Otherwise, they may realize you are lying to them, and still
continue to investigate you. And last but not least, warn
anyone else who may have fallen victim to such entrapment, and
reveal to them the aforementions methods used by spies.
I ask that Allah accepts my works and that
my brothers and sisters may find these useful, by the will of
Allah.
Your Brother in Islam.
Submitted
by a Mujahid