CLCT Blog

The Washington Post has reported that the five North Virginia men who traveled to Pakistan allegedly seeking entry into Al Qaeda were recruited via YouTube. The article reports that the organization, believed to be headed by Osama bin Laden and responsible for the 9/11 attacks, has been increasingly using the Internet as a recruitment tool. The article speculates that this is because Al Qaeda's traditional recruitment venues (mosques and community centers) have been placed under increased scrutiny by US intelligence agencies. The five men apparently commented positively on YouTube videos showing attacks on US troops, and then exchanged coded emails with Al Qaeda recruiters, who directed the men to travel to Pakistan. However, they were ultimately rejected by Al Qaeda because they were believed to be US spies. Intelligence agencies have a difficult time monitoring YouTube because of its extreme popularity (it is currently the fourth most popular site in the world according to Alexa's web rankings).