Sunni radicals with the Islamic State terrorist group have posted a number of tweets aimed at the citizens of Chicago, including a picture of an unidentified man on Michigan Avenue holding a paper with a handwritten Arabic message: “We are in your streets.”
The terrorist group, which operates primarily out of Syria and Iraq, relies heavily on social media platforms to spread its message, using the hashtag #AMessageFromISIStoUS to single out Chicago.
The location of the tweet was 307 N. Michigan Avenue at the city’s Old Republic Building, Chicago’s WGN network reported Friday. The tweet, dated June 20, allegedly says, “Soldiers of the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria will pass from here soon,” the station reported.
Security at the Old Republic Building wouldn’t comment, nor would local or federal authorities, including Secret Service and the FBI, WGN reported.
During a press briefing Thursday, Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel said the Islamic State group is “beyond any terrorist group. … They marry ideology, sophistication of strategic and tactical military prowess. They are tremendously well-funded. Oh, this is beyond anything that we’ve seen, so we must prepare for everything, and the only way you do that is you take a cold, steely hard look at it and get ready.”
• Douglas Ernst can be reached at dernst@washingtontimes.com.
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