The al Qaeda Manual

THE FOLLOWING is a translation of a portion of an al Qaeda training manual. The full manual is available here. This was made available by the FBI on their website.

A significant purpose of fundamentalist Muslims is to try to establish Islamic states everywhere in the world until the whole world is Islamic. Organizations like al Qaeda are working hard to do just that.

Part of the strategy is to undermine trust in a government's ability to protect its citizens by committing dramatic acts of terror. But to do this, a terrorist needs to blend in to the foreign society until the appointed hour of destruction. The section below is how a terrorist can go unnoticed while preparing the attack.

This is serious business. The Islamists have an overall strategy for turning America into an Islamic state: The 20-year plan for overthrowing the U.S. government. And they have similar goals in Europe.

Their numbers are growing, and so is their sophistication. And because Islamists exploit a moral principle in western democracies, they are actually gaining ground on what would seem to be an impossible goal.

Since part of a citizen warrior's job is help prevent terrorist attacks by knowing what to look for, it's a good idea to know the tactics terrorists use to fool the unschooled eye.

So here is a chapter of the al Qaeda manual, describing tactics for concealing one's true identity in the land of the infidels (otherwise known as "member safety"):

Chapter Eight: MEMBER SAFETY

Defining member safety:

This is a set of measures taken by members who perform undercover missions in order to prevent the enemies from getting to them.

It is necessary for any party that adopts Jihad work and has many members to subdivide its members into three groups, each of which has its own security measures. The three groups are:

1. The overt member
2. The covert member
3. The commander


Measures that should be taken by the Overt Member:

1. He should not be curious and inquisitive about matters that do not concern him.

2. He should not be chatty and talkative about everything he knows or hears.

3. He should not carry on him the names and addresses of those members he knows. If he has to, he should keep them safe.

4. During times of security concerns and arrest campaigns and especially if his appearance is Islamic, he should reduce his visits to the areas of trouble and remain at home instead.

5. When conversing on the telephone, he should not talk about any information that might be of use to the enemy.

6. When sending letters, he should not mention any information that might be of use to the enemy. When receiving letters, he should burn them immediately after reading them and pour water on them to prevent the enemy from reading them. Further, he should destroy any traces of fire so the enemy would not find out that something was burned.


Measures that should be taken by the Undercover Member:

In addition to the above measures, the member should...

1. Not reveal his true name to the Organization's members who are working with him, nor to the Islamic Call.

2 . Have a general appearance that does not indicate Islamic orientation.

3. Be careful not to mention the brothers’ common expressions or show their behaviors (special praying appearance, “may Allah reward you”, “peace be on you" while arriving and departing, etc.)

4. Avoid visiting famous Islamic places (mosques, libraries, Islamic fairs, etc.)

5. Carry falsified personal documents and know all the information they contain.

6. Have protection preceding his visit to any place while moving about (apartment, province, means of transportation, etc.).

7. Have complete and accurate knowledge of the security status related to those around him in his place of work and residence, so that no danger or harm would catch him unaware.

8. Maintain his family and neighborhood relationships and should not show any changes towards them so that they would not attempt to bring him back (from the Organization) for security reasons.

9. Not resort to utilizing letters and messengers except in an emergency.

10. Not speak loudly.

11. Not get involved in advocating good and denouncing evil in order not to attract attention to himself.

12. Break the daily routine, especially when performing an undercover mission. For example, changing the departure and return routes, arrival and departure times, and the store where he buys his goods.

13. Not causing any trouble in the neighborhood where he lives or at the place of work.

14. Converse on the telephone using special code so that he does not attract attention.

15. Not contacting the overt members except when necessary. Such contacts should be brief.

16. Not fall into the enemy's excitement trap, either through praising or criticizing his Organization.

17. Performing the exercises to detect surveillance whenever a task is to be performed.

18. Not park in no-parking zones and not take photographs where it is forbidden.

19. Closing all that should be closed before departing the place, whether at home or his place of undercover work.

20. Not undergo a sudden change in his daily routine or any relationships that precede his Jihad involvement. For example, there should not be an obvious change in his habits of conversing, movement, presence, or disappearance. Likewise, he should not be hasty to sever his previous relationships.

21. Not meet in places where there are informers, such as coffee shops, and not live in areas close to the residences of important personalities, government establishments, and police stations.

22. Not write down on any media, specially on paper, that could show the traces and words of the pen by rubbing the paper with lead powder.


Measures that should be taken by the Commander:

The commander, whether in overt or covert work, has special importance for the following reasons:

1. The large amount of information he possesses.

2. The difficulty of the command in replacing the commander.

3. Therefore, all previously mentioned security precautions regarding members should be heightened for the commander. Many resources should be reserved for protecting the commanders.

Important Note: Married brothers should observe the following...

1. Not talking with their wives about Jihad work.

2. The members with security risks should not travel with their wives. A wife with an Islamic appearance (veil) attracts attention.