ISIS ‘lone wolf’ guide advises avoid mosques, shave beard, act Christian

Islamic State militants have published an e-book advising ‘lone wolves’ across the world with instructions on how to carry out successful local attacks on behalf of the terror group. Jihadi readers are motivated to plot attacks by following the pointers, strategies and advice offered throughout the document such as cutting beards and adopting one or more of the six “cover stories” the manual details to help jihadis go unnoticed. The cover page of the 62-page document, “Safety and Security guidelines for Lone Wolf Mujahideen and small cells,” features an image of New York City burning. The book is organized into 12 chapters with topics such as money and weapons security, surveillance, how to cover up your plot and travel and transport security. Jihadis are told it is permitted to wear a Christian cross while traveling and to shave a couple of weeks prior, allowing the skin under the beard to be exposed to sunlight. The guide even advises using a “generic alcoholic perfume,” avoiding “non-alcoholic perfume that Muslims use.” It appears that the guide was published last month to Telegram and ISIS-linked social media channels. It was also posted on a WordPress blog. The manual also gives fashion tips, suggestions for optimal soft targets to attack and phone apps that are safe to use. The United Kingdom’s The Sun Newspaper reports that the handbook is believed to be distributed by ISIS “Supermarket Jihadi” Omar Hussain, originally from the U.K. and has already resulted in “hundreds of downloads,” according to experts.