ANSAR AL-SHARIA LIBYA OPENS NEW TWITTER ACCT, ADVERTISES REWARDS FOR GEN HAFTAR ET AL
ANSAR AL-SHARIA LIBYA OPENS NEW TWITTER ACCT, ADVERTISES REWARDS FOR GEN HAFTAR ET AL
By Michael S. Smith II
On 15 April 2015, Ansar al-Sharia Libya opened a new Twitter account, @ansar_alshare3a. Within a day, this new account had attracted more than 1,200 followers.
Among the first tweets posted by the account’s manager(s) was a link to a JustPaste.it page containing an announcement of rewards for Gen Khalifa Haftar, Gen Saqr al-Jaroushi, Col Faraj al-Barasi, Col Mohammed al-Hijazi, who serves as a spokesperson for Gen Haftar’s forces, and Col Nice Bo Khmadh. The group also distributed a “Wanted for Murder” poster that contains photos of these military officials and respective rewards for each.
Advertising such rewards is consistent with al-Qa’ida’s policies. On 8 April 2015, propagandists with al-Qa’ida’s Yemen branch, AQAP, distributed via Twitter a poster, formal statement, and a video that advertised rewards for the captures or assassinations of the leader of the Houthi rebels and ousted Yemeni president Ali Saleh.
