Al-Qaeda magazine tells jihadis how to torch cars and cause traffic accidents

This will come in handy in France. "Al Qaeda releases guide on how to torch cars and make bombs as it names 11 public figures it wants 'dead or alive' in latest edition of its glossy magazine," by Leon Watson for the Daily Mail, March 2:

Al Qaeda has released the latest edition of its English-language propaganda magazine advising would-be militants on how to torch parked cars and cause traffic accidents.

The Islamist movement's most active branch Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula, or AQAP, published the tenth edition of its glossy quarterly called Inspire on militant websites this month.

Along with tips on terrorism, it also warns France to pull back from Mali and lists 11 public figures in the West, including author Salman Rushdie, who it says are 'wanted dead or alive for crimes against Islam' and carries articles commemorating 'martyrs' who have died for its cause.

AQAP, based in the impoverished, lawless state of Yemen, has previously plotted to bring down international airliners.

It is seen by Western governments as a danger to oil-producing Gulf states and major crude shipment routes.

In a section entitled 'open source jihad', the magazine gives tips on how to set fire to parked cars, including advice such as 'don't get petrol on yourself', and suggests spilling oil on road bends to cause crashes.

An editorial in the magazine warned France to end its military intervention in Mali, citing the U.S. experiences in Afghanistan and Iraq, which it said made 'them bite their fingertips in regret'.

That's a Qur'anic reference: "The Day that the wrong-doer will bite at his hands, he will say, 'Oh! would that I had taken a (straight) path with the Messenger!'" -- Qur'an 25:27

The magazine also called on militants to attack 11 public figures in the West, including Rushdie, whose 1988 novel The Satanic Verses was seen by many Muslims as blasphemous.

Among others are Dutch politician Geert Wilders and Canadian-Somalian activist Ayaan Hirsi Ali, both strong critics of Islam, and U.S. pastor Terry Jones, who staged a public burning of copies of the Koran.

In a prominent feature, titled 'No Parking! Are There Any Safe Parking Lots Out There,' an author identified as Ibnul Irhab lays out step-by-step procedures for lighting multiple cars in the same, vacant parking lot ablaze, turning it into a massive explosion.

'The West should taste some burning. They should pay for bombarding and burning our Muslim brothers and sisters’ homes and our Holy (Koran). For burning down forests, plantations and houses, please refer to Issue 9,' the author writes.

'All you need is cooking oil, this tip-sheet says, to wreak havoc on a curvy highway.

'Today we have something new for you, VEHICLES. Vehicle are easy to torch. And the easy part is, vehicles need to be parked somewhere, right? How safe is that somewhere, especially in deserted areas? How much more safe will the West feel parking their vehicles, when they know they’re up for a TORCHING.'

Irhab's specific instructions for carrying out the horrific plot include, 'find a deserted parked car,' 'avoid CCTV cameras or areas where people can see you' and, of course, 'pour the petrol on the vehicle(s), do not forget the tires. You can pour a line away from the vehicle.'

Another terrifying feature titled 'Causing Road Accidents,' by an author identified only by the alias AQ Chef, outlines how, 'following simple instructions,' you, too, 'can carry out a lethal ambush.'

'There is no retaliation face to face, just place and vanish,' states the article, which painstakingly reveals how to grease windy roads with oil so thoroughly that cars slip off it and crash.

AQAP has continued to publish the magazine four times a year, even after one of its main writers, 26-year-old Samir Khan, from North Carolina, was killed in a September 2011 drone strike in Yemen along with fellow contributor Anwar al-Awlaki.

Several people in the U.S. and UK jailed for terrorist-related offences has been found in possession of the magazine.

In December a young graduate whose brothers are serving prison sentences for planning a terrorist attack on the London Stock Exchange, was jailed for downloading Al-Qaeda it to her mobile phone.

Ruksana Begum, 22, who has a first-class degree in accountancy, had two editions of Inspire, including articles such as 'Targeting the populations of countries that are at war with the Muslims'.

Ms Begum's brothers, Gurukanth Desai, 30, and Abdul Miah, 25, were sentenced to 12 and 16 years respectively in February last year for their part in the plot.

In October, the foreign student arrested over an attempt to blow-up the New York Federal Reserve cited the publication as inspiration for his deadly plans.

Quazi Nafis, 21, reportedly learned how to make a bomb from an article in Inspire.

One issue specifies how to create a remote-controlled bomb with a list of ingredients and parts followed by a photographic manual.

Another issue suggested that a good way to forward the jihadist mission would be to mow down pedestrians in a pick-up truck.

Handgun training and tips on being an 'urban assassin' are also included in the easily accessible terrorist magazine online.