February 2, 2015 | Quote

ISIS Leader Warns Unauthorized Tweets Don’t Speak for Caliphate


The development came after more than a week of sometimes confusing, sometimes contradictory reports regarding three Islamic State hostages, including a Jordanian pilot whose status is unclear, and two Japanese captives who were beheaded, apparently after Japan refused to pay a $200 million ransom.

“They have problems with leaks, like other organizations, from time to time, so it is not surprising they appear to be trying to maintain message control,” said Thomas Joscelyn, of the Foundation for Defense of Democracies.

But Joscelyn said the unauthorized messages may still be valuable, even if they are frustrating for ISIS leaders.

“The Islamic State has a protocol for releasing statements,” Joscelyn said. “And anything that doesn’t come through the approved channels hasn’t been blessed by the organization at the highest levels. It doesn’t mean what comes out through non-official channels is wrong, just that it hasn’t been cleared for release.”

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