Terrorist group al Qaeda joins Twitter

Washington, Sept 29: The terror outfit al Qaeda's official website has reportedly opened its first account on microblogging site Twitter.

The Shamukh al-Islam website, restricted to members of the terrorist group and used as an official clearing house to communicate and issue propaganda statements, opened its @shomokhalislam Twitter account on Tuesday, which US officials said is an effort to resolve a major split over Syria's Islamist rebels.

According to Fox News, the first posts of the account focused on divisions between two al Qaeda rebel groups in Syria, al Nusra Front and the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL).

The account posted 29 tweets, followed one account, and attracted 1,532 followers including some of the high-profile jihadists.

Counterterrorism analysts consider it as an indicator that terrorist groups are stepping up their use of social media over traditional Internet sites and internet is fast becoming a tool for online jihad, the report added.

OneIndia

(With agency inputs)