Terrorists Turn to the Web as Base of Operations
Al Qaeda suicide bombers and ambush units in Iraq routinely depend on the Web for training and tactical support, relying on the Internet's anonymity and flexibility to operate with near impunity in cyberspace. In Qatar, Egypt and Europe, cells affiliated with al Qaeda that have recently carried out or seriously planned bombings have relied heavily on the Internet.Such cases have led Western intelligence agencies and outside terrorism specialists to conclude that the "global jihad movement," sometimes led by al Qaeda fugitives but increasingly made up of diverse "groups and ad hoc cells," has become a "Web-directed" phenomenon, as a presentation for U.S. government terrorism analysts by longtime State Department expert Dennis Pluchinsky put it. Hampered by the nature of the Internet itself, the government has proven ineffective at blocking or even hindering significantly this vast online presence.
Of course it has—it's like trying to block an idea.
Elsewhere in this series, the authors distinguish the Zarqawi-era net-enabled suicide fanboys from the fax-and-videotape fogeys in bin Laden's circle. Given that the old guard managed to murder and destroy pretty effectively without an (alleged) reliance on modern internet techniques, I think it's safe to say that this series' focus on the internet is misplaced. Plenty of technology exists to spread ideas through channels beyond the reach of governments.
