They’ll have to call the show “CSI: Islamic State.”
The terror army has proudly announced on its social media platforms that it has opened an “Islamic State Police Forensics Department” in al Furat Province, Iraq.
A photo gallery shows crime scene investigators collecting and analyzing fingerprints. Also shown are various CSI gear such as a microscope and special lighted fingerprint analysis table
Another shot is of a magnifying glass highlighting a dusted fingerprint at a burgled pharmacy and a technician comparing collected prints to a suspect’s.
Finally, in a bit of more propaganda, there is a picture of an agent handing reimbursement money to the pharmacy owner, according to a translation by the Middle East Media Research Institute (MEMRI), which monitors jihadi communications.
The irony, of course, is that the Islamic State has committed mass murders amounting to genocide yet it depicts the group as worried about a break-in at a local business.
Al Furat Province northwest of Baghdad has been the scene of horrific Islamic State crimes. In January, IS released moment-by-moment photos of the execution of a man accused of being gay. IS terrorists march him, hands bound, up a stairway to the roof, blindfold him and toss him off.
A crowd quickly forms awaiting the murder in a grisly scene of curiosity and celebration.
Steve Stalinsky, MEMRI’s executive director, said IS is trying to show the world that towns in its so-called Muslim caliphate in Syria-Iraq function like modern municipalities.
“Previously ISIS has displayed its police vehicles, uniforms, stations, and more,” Mr. Stalinsky said. “The launch of its ’Islamic police forensics department’ is only one part of the group’s efforts to show the world that, like any other state, it has a modern and advanced police department, while at the same sending a direct message to its opponents, who it labels as ’spies,’ on the ground that it has the capability to come after anyone who goes against it.”
The Islamic State is also known as ISIL and ISIS. It bets heavily on being able to woo foreign fighters, especially from Europe, to join the Sunni extremists group. The Pentagon estimates its current strength at 25,000 fighters.
“ISIS has always called on and recruited experts with scientific backgrounds for various purposes and the ’Islamic police forensics department’ is no exception,” Mr. Stalinsky said. “There is even a group on Telegram [messaging app] that was created about a month ago called ’Islamic State Scientists & Engineers.’ The channel administrator stressed that members of the channel must have a degree in a scientific or mathematics field such as chemistry or aeronautics and that it has numerous goals such as to ’exploit some channel members’ situation to do research for the military benefit of the caliphate.’”
• Rowan Scarborough can be reached at rscarborough@washingtontimes.com.
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