ISIS in Brazil: Just ahead of Olympics, group pledges allegiance to Caliphate

As fears rise over Brazil’s security apparatus ahead of this summer’s Olympics games, a group calling itself “The Brazil Caliphate” has released a statement on social media pledging allegiance to Abu Bakr Al Baghdadi, the self-proclaimed leader of the Islamic State. In the pledge issued July 17, "Ansar al-Khilafah Brazil" posted to its Telegram channel an allegiance to Al Baghdadi, the “Emir of the Believers, the Caliph of the Muslims, and promised to fully obey him in establishing “the religion of Allah” against “the enemy.” Among the group’s other entries on the channel are links to more Islamic State “Nashir” propaganda channels in Spanish and Portuguese, links to previous issues of ISIS’ glossy Dabiq Magazine, Nasheeds or jihadi songs and a speech by ISIS spokesman Al Adnani, translated in English and Portuguese. In one entry the author takes a swipe at French security in light of the Nice truck attack, asking rhetorically 'what benefit French operations against ISIS in Syria have yielded.' “Has this not radicalized more Muslims to take revenge?” he asks, before scornfully adding, “If French soldiers failed to prevent a terror attack happening in France, of what use will they be in trying to train Brazilian police?” Brazilian and French law enforcement have held joint training and drills in recent years, with the countries hosting events such as the World Cup, Euro 2016 and the upcoming Olympics. Security in Brazil ahead of the games has come under increased scrutiny in recent days, after a report that the country’s government awarded the contract for security personnel monitoring x-ray machines and patting down spectators to a little known Brazilian human resources firm, with limited knowledge of security training. That contract was awarded as recently as July 1, and contrasts to the full year the U.K. allocated for the equivalent requirements ahead of the 2012 Olympics in London. Brazil will have 85,000 soldiers and police officers patrolling Rio this summer, more than double the amount deployed in London for the 2012 games. The start of the games is scheduled Aug. 5. The full pledge translated by SITE intel reads. In the Name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful

We pledge allegiance to the Emir of the Believers, the Caliph of the Muslims, Ibrahim ibn Awwad ibn Ibrahim al-Badri al-Husseini al-Qurashi al-Baghdadi, to listen and obey, to listen and obey in times of hardship and ease, in difficulty and prosperity, and to endure being discriminated against, and to 
establish the religion of Allah, and to wage jihad against the enemy of Allah, and not to dispute about the decisions of those in power except in case of evident infidelity regarding which there is a proof from Allah. Allah is the Witness to what we say.