Followed ISIS mag’s sick advice: Use trucks to maximize horror
THE DEADLY lower Manhattan truck attack Tuesday followed almost to the letter instructions provided in an ISIS magazine story published last year.
The Rumiyah article titled “Just Terror Tactics” laid out in chilling detail how to use a truck to maximize carnage.
“Vehicles are like knives, as they are extremely easy to acquire,” the article says. “But unlike knives, which if found in one’s possession can be a cause for suspicion, vehicles arouse absolutely no doubts due to their widespread use throughout the world. It is for this obvious reason that using a vehicle is one of the most comprehensive methods of attack.”
The story, which features a photo of a Hertz rental truck, advises would-be terrorists to use a load-bearing truck; to target areas that draw large crowds; to bring with them a secondary weapon; to announce allegiance to Allah, and to leave behind a note pledging support for the Islamic State.
Sayfullo Saipov, 29, appeared to have methodically followed these instructions before his Halloween attack along a West St. bike path.
Saipov even left behind a note that was strikingly similar to the language suggested in the article.
The missive found in Saipov’s rented Home Depot truck read, “Islamic supplication. It will endure,” authorities said.
The article points to the success of the July 2016 attack in France, in which a jihadist steered a truck into Bastille Day crowds in Nice, killing 86 people and injuring 458.