TODAY’S MESOP ALERT : ISIS FLAGS ALL OVER IN US CITIES – “We are in your state, we are in your cities, we are in your streets.'”

ISIS Attempts to Establish Foothold in U.S. – By Rahat Husain – Washington Times

Posted 2014-09-07 07:09 GMT – ISIS agents or supporters have been active in the United States, displaying the terrorist group’s flag, making bomb threats, leaving the country to join the militant group and, in one case, attempting to threaten a Shiite mosque in Texas.The incidents come after ISIS threats made to the White House, saying “We are in your state, we are in your cities, we are in your streets.'”Attempting to gain more followers, the group has released propaganda posters on the Internet, in English and styled after such popular video games as “Call of Duty.”

In Houston, two ISIS supporters terrified members of a Shiite mosque when they interrupted prayer services by screaming orders that the Shiites “repent” from their beliefs and join “the right way” under the leadership of Abu Bakr Baghdadi. ISIS believes that Shiite beliefs are heretical, and have executed hundreds of captured Shias in their quest to eliminate the belief system. Fearing the worst, mosque members immediately phoned the police, who immediately removed the individuals from the premises. Last week in Chicago, Emad Karakrah was arrested for brandishing an ISIS flag and making bomb threats to police. The incident occurred when police attempted to pull over Mr. Karakrah for driving erratically. After initially stopping, the ISIS supporter then led police in a high-speed car chase, and ran through several red lights, before being stopped and arrested.

Secretary of Defense Chuck Hagel warned the public about the terrorist group’s growing influence in the United States, saying to CNN “We are aware of over 100 U.S. citizens who have U.S. passports who are fighting in the Middle East with ISIL forces … There may be more. We don’t know.”

In an interview with CNN, former CIA agent Bob Baer said that ISIS agents have entered the United States through Mexico. However, the director of the National Counter Terrorism Center (NCTC), Matthew Olsen, disagrees. In a speech at the Brookings Institution, Mr. Olsen stated that the likelihood of an ISIS attack in the United States was very minimal.At least two Americans have died while fighting to support ISIS. The first was Douglas McAuthur McCain, who died fighting in Syria. Authorities have many questions regarding the circumstances of Mr. McCain joining the terrorist organization, including why the fighter was carrying his passport and $800 in cash on the battlefield.

The second American to die supporting ISIS was airport worker Abdirahmaan Muhumed of Minnesota, who left behind a wife and children to join the terrorist organization. Family members reported receiving images verifying that Mr. Muhumed was recently killed. Since his death, multiple social media images depicting him with military weaponry have emerged. The Muhumed family has expressed shock and outrage that their relative would join ISIS. One American was stymied in his efforts to join ISIS, being turned away by Turkish border officials when they realized what he was attempting to do. Don Morgan, 44, a former police officer from North Carolina, was arrested by U.S. officials on weapons charges after his failed bid. On Twitter, posting under the name “Abu Omar Al-Amreeki,” he pledged allegiance to the caliph of the “Islamic State.”

In the United States, a group of more than 30 Muslim leaders, organizations and mosques issued a “American Muslim Joint Statement on the Crisis in Iraq” saying, “We condemn, in the strongest terms, the violent statements and actions of ISIL, and believe that no legitimate cause can ever be accomplished by terrorism, violence against innocents, or through sectarian hatred. We reject the narrative espoused by the leadership of ISIL, and do not accept that this crisis is a war between Sunni and Shia Muslims.”Instead, we stand firmly in solidarity with the countless members of the Shia and Sunni Muslim communities who call for a better Iraq. ISIL’s strategy of intimidation, abduction, torture and murder are antithetical to the teachings of Islam, and can never be supported by any rational person.” Invoking the killing of Osama Bin Laden, Vice President Joe Biden dismissed the rhetoric of ISIS. “As a nation, we’re united. And when people harm Americans, we don’t retreat. We don’t forget. We take care of those who are grieving,” he said. “And when that’s finished, they should know, we will follow them to the gates of hell until they are brought to justice! Because hell is where they will reside! Hell is where they will reside!” http://www.aina.org/news/20140907030923.htm