In some quarters of the dark internet, where supporters of the Islamic State and other extremist groups linger, the presumptive GOP nominee has emerged a rallying point of sorts. To them, he is the “perfect enemy,” as one Islamic State defector told a researcher interviewed by TPM, and they are using his posturing to advance their own agenda, according to another analyst.
As Trump emerged as the presumptive GOP nominee -- and specifically after he called for a ban on Muslims entering the United States -- experts who monitor the activity of terror networks have raised concerns about a possible backlash driven by his rhetoric. Hillary Clinton herself said in a December Democratic debate that Trump was “becoming ISIS’ best recruiter” -- a comment viewed with general skepticism at the time and vehemently rebuffed by Trump himself.
But what has emerged instead is perhaps more complicated.
“It’s clear they find his comments, they find his demeanor, they find his approach, in some way serving the goals of ISIS in some manner, whether it be in having a ground war in Syria or weakening the United States,” Laith Alkhouri, a counterterrorism analyst and co-founder of the threat intelligence firm FlashPoint, told TPM. “They believe that with the U.S. weakening down that the Caliphate will actually rise.”
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The replies that followed predicted that Trump “ will be a disaster to America,” while celebrating that he could bring the end-of-days battle in Syria that jihadists call for.
“Trump's governance will be the destroyer of America and its traitor Arab allies," one commenter said.
The Full Story (June 30, 2016)
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