In the bulletin, the FBI claims to have “recently obtained credible information indicating members of an ISIL-affiliated group are tasked with kidnapping journalists in the region and returning them to Syria. Members of this group might try to mask their affiliation with ISIL to gain access to journalists,” the bulletin reads.
The bulletin also noted the recent executions of American journalists James Foley and Steven Sotloff, and cited an online post by an ISIL supporter titled “A Message to 2.6 Million Muslims in the United States: This Is How To Respond to Obama’s War on Islam.” The post’s author identified media personnel such as anchormen, field reporters, and talk show hosts as those who were “proved to be biased” and, as such, were prioritized targets for execution.
The bulletin, which the FBI supplied to news organizations so that they “may take appropriate steps to notify their journalists in the field,” was dated Oct. 22 but sent out Thursday by the Public Affairs department for the FBI’s Washington Field Office.
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