Online Muslim jihadists congrats Lashkar-e-Toiba f

NEW DELHI: One man's terrorist is another's freedom fighter. Even as Lashkar-e-Toiba (LeT), alongwith its parent body Jamaat-ud-Dawa (JuD), battles international sanctions, its popularity in Al Qaida chatrooms and websites seems to have shot through the roof after the Mumbai terror attacks.

These chatrooms have been flooded by complimentary messages for LeT with some even describing it as a force on par with Al Qaida in waging global jihad. Not surprisingly, many of those who have exchanged such messages in online debating rooms have no qualms about describing themselves as wannabe LeT terrorists and exhort the outfit to carry out more such attacks. These messages are also marked by vituperative utterances against the US, UK and Israel, according to the Washington based SITE Intelligence Group.

The monitoring agency has also reported about a 'jihadist' who has exhorted Muslims to use networking site Facebook for propaganda. This plea was apparently made on a blog protected by password.

The way LeT has been eulogised in these messages would suggest that it is no longer a regional organisation bogged down by Pakistan's strategic interests in J&K. Some of these electronic terrorists, who also dole out information on how to join LeT, urge the outfit for similar strikes in the US and UK. Ajmal Amir Kasab and the nine others involved in the Mumbai attack are described as heroes.

According to reports in the US media, the contents have led to fear among security agencies that similar attacks can be carried out there too. In fact, so much so, that the New York Police Department has sent three of its officers to Mumbai to study the attacks in detail to prevent such attacks there.

It's well known that Al Qaida operates a network of websites which are used for general training, recruitment and indoctrination. Previously, LeT never managed to occupy much space in these websites because the outfit never managed to fire the imagination of gullible Muslim youths in the Middle East and adjoining areas. The Mumbai attacks, however, have clearly helped LeT emerged out of the shadows of Al Qaida as evident by the flurry of complementary messages on these websites.