Kenya attack unfolded in up and down Twitter feeds

PARIS -- As the deadly attack unfolded inside Kenya's Westgate mall, the militants who claimed responsibility for the spreading mayhem sent out tweet after tweet, taunting the Kenyan military, defending the mass killings and threatening more bloodshed.

Each time Twitter shut the account down ? a total of five times, according to a U.S.-based security analyst ? al-Shabab started a new feed. The sixth account included a post on Tuesday linking to a photo that purported to be two of the attackers "unruffled and strolling around the mall in such sangfroid manner" and mocking Kenya's security forces for their repeated assurances over two days ? also tweeted ? that the siege was nearly over.

It wasn't the first time al-Shabab has live-tweeted a terrorist attack, according to J.M. Berger, a U.S. based terrorism analyst who monitors the group's online presence. The militants offered comments in real time or nearly so in recent attacks in Mogadishu and the attempted assassination of the Somali president. But the drawn-out Kenya attack, which left at least dozens dead, brought the group to a much wider stage, amplified by its social media savvy.

"The person who runs their Twitter account has obviously invested a lot of energy in the process of grabbing headlines, and for Shabab, the account allows them to amplify the message that they wish to send with the attack itself," Berger told The Associated Press.

The al-Shabab message, at least according to the tweets, appeared directed at the international community and Kenya specifically to leave Somalia to the militant Islamic group. But there may have been a broader message, analysts say: Al-Shabab has allied itself with al-Qaida's global message and its global war.

Berger, who has called out al-Shabab before for violating Twitter's terms of service, did so again after the attack began on Saturday, announced by gunshots, grenades and the group's chosen hashtag, #Westgate. The account was closed. A new feed opened, the handle sent to journalists on the al-Shabab email list, with crisp assurances tweeted back to users who requested their names be added.

But as the death toll rose ? and images were broadcast worldwide of the terror, which included a bloodied woman and terrified children, the group found itself roundly condemned ? the tweets became more defensive: "Mujahideen have no desire to kill women & children and have done everything practically possible to evacuate them before attacking #Westgate."

The communications onslaught, which included back and forth tweets with Kenya's security forces, had police at one point appealing to "all Kenyans to ignore the propaganda of those intent on dividing us and breaking us down."

Interestingly, the group's message in the Somali language social media was slightly different ? and tailored to a more domestic audience than the largely English-language Twitter feeds, said Cedric Barnes, a Nairobi-based analyst for Crisis Group.

"Part of the reason might be to align itself more with the international struggle rather than the Somali-centric war," Barnes said. The attack and propaganda efforts show "how sophisticated Shabab is but also some of the networks that assisted in this. It's incredibly cynical but quite deliberate."

Twitter has not explained why it shut down the accounts, but it prohibits "direct, specific threats of violence against others." The Washington-based SITE Intelligence Group, which monitors jihadist websites, said al-Shabab had been closed down five times, with the sixth account opening Tuesday ? a tally that roughly coincided with AP's count of recent shutdowns of their account.

Source: http://www.miamiherald.com/2013/09/24/3648101/kenya-attack-unfolded-in-up-and.html

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