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ISIS: Las Vegas Shooter Stephen Paddock Became Muslim Six Months Before Massacre
Newsweek via Yahoo! ^ | October 5, 2017 | Tom O’Connor

Posted on 10/07/2017 7:30:33 AM PDT by TaxPayer2000

The Islamic State militant group (ISIS) has published a new infographic detailing how the jihadists orchestrated the deadliest mass shooting in modern U.S. history on Sunday night, despite serious doubts as to the group's involvement by authorities.

In the latest edition of ISIS's weekly Al-Naba online magazine, which was shared by its supporters Thursday on encrypted messaging app Telegram, the militant network provided more information intended to bolster its prior claims that assailant Stephen Paddock converted to Islam prior to killing 58 people and injuring hundreds more, when he opened fire on concertgoers from his 32nd floor room in the Mandalay Bay hotel in Las Vegas with nearly two dozen weapons.

The new publication now specified that Paddock, who the group dubbed Abu Abdul Barr al-Amriki, had allegedly "converted to Islam six months ago" and provided a play-by-play of Sunday's bloodshed.

An infographic entitled "The Invasion of Las Vegas" claims assailant Stephen Paddock, referred to as Abu Abdul Bar al-Amriki, was a "soldier of the caliphate" and converted to Islam six months prior to his Las Vegas shooting spree, as featured in Islamic State militant group (ISIS) weekly publication Al-Naba, October 5, 2017. Social Media

"A soldier of the caliphate attacked a gathering of 22,000 Americans at a concert in the city of Las Vegas, resulting in nearly 60 killed and 600 injured, " Al-Naba states, later erroneously stating the death toll at 59, instead of the revised count of 58.

"Brother Abu Abdul Bar stationed himself in a room on the 32nd floor of a hotel overlooking the concert and opened fire continuously on the crowds using 23 firearms and more than 2,000 bullets and died, may God accept him, after running out of ammunition," it added.

In trying to piece together a motive for Paddock's shooting spree, authorities have scrutinized ISIS's claims, but have said they don't believe the militants were involved. Paddock, a frequent gambler and drinker by most accounts, has not been revealed to host any radical connections or converted to Islam at any point. While his father was revealed to have once been on the FBI's Most Wanted List, Paddock's brother said Monday he was "completely dumbfounded" by the attack.

"There is no indication that there is any link whatsoever. They claim a lot of things," a U.S. official, unauthorized to speak publicly and speaking on condition of anonymity, told Newsweek Monday.

ISIS has previously claimed responsibility for attacks only to be later denied by authorities, such as an apparent botched robbery in the Philippines. Terrorism and security analysis experts, however, such as Kronos Advisory co-founder Michael S. Smith II and The New York Times correspondent Rukmini Callimachi have pointed out that the group is rarely off and such a blatantly false narrative would be out of character for the social media savvy jihadists.

Still, ISIS has yet to provide any substantive evidence of Paddock's allegiance to the group and all of its information, save for his alleged conversion to Islam, has more or less matched readily available news reports.

ISIS, which took over nearly half of Iraq and Syria at its height in 2014, has been responsible for hundreds of deaths abroad and its elusive leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi apparently broke a nearly year-long public silence last week to deliver a speech that was recorded and shared by the jihadists. In it, a man purporting to be the ultraconservative Sunni Muslim cleric calls for his followers to strike targets in the West.

Both Baghdadi's speech and ISIS's surprise claim of responsibility for Sunday's attack came as the militants stand to lose their final major cities in Syria to separate campaigns by the Russia and Iran-backed Syrian military, and the U.S.-backed Syrian Democratic Forces, a mostly Kurdish alliance of Arabs and ethnic minorities. Without any physical territory left under its self-proclaimed caliphate, experts have speculated as to how ISIS will survive.


TOPICS: Crime/Corruption; Foreign Affairs; News/Current Events; War on Terror
KEYWORDS: lvmassacre; paddockisis; paddockmotive
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1 posted on 10/07/2017 7:30:33 AM PDT by TaxPayer2000
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To: TaxPayer2000

Possible, probable even, but still not substantiated by any concrete and verifiable source.


2 posted on 10/07/2017 7:34:39 AM PDT by alloysteel (Guilty until proven innocent, while denying defense, justice, mercy or any appeal. No pardon, ever.)
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To: TaxPayer2000

Ran out of ammunition?


3 posted on 10/07/2017 7:34:51 AM PDT by ImJustAnotherOkie
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To: TaxPayer2000

Certainly would not be shocked if Paddock was indeed turned months ago. All the pre-planning is not typical of an individual that supposedly “snaps”.


4 posted on 10/07/2017 7:41:29 AM PDT by Kahuna
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To: alloysteel

Islam is a proselytizing religion. It is the ultimate proselytizing religion. Adopting it in secret makes no sense in the absence of a vital reason. Becoming a martyred warrior for Islam entails revealing oneself as an Islamic warrior.


5 posted on 10/07/2017 7:42:13 AM PDT by jjotto ("Ya could look it up!")
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To: TaxPayer2000
"A soldier of the caliphate attacked a gathering of 22,000 Americans at a concert in the city of Las Vegas, resulting in nearly 60 killed and 600 injured, " Al-Naba states, later erroneously stating the death toll at 59, instead of the revised count of 58.

Curse you, Newsweak via Yahoo, and your slavish devotion to accuracy!

6 posted on 10/07/2017 7:42:14 AM PDT by Texas Eagle (If it wasn't for double-standards, Liberals would have no standards at all -- Texas Eagle)
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To: jjotto

They proselytize more than Mormons?


7 posted on 10/07/2017 7:57:54 AM PDT by wastedyears (Anime is real.)
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To: TaxPayer2000

There is a leaked picture of paddock dead from an apparently self inflicted wound. In that picture, his head and face are fully shaved. Jihadis fully shave themselves before committing mass murders.


8 posted on 10/07/2017 8:01:03 AM PDT by matt1234 (Jan. 20, 2017: the national nightmare ended.)
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To: wastedyears

Would someone do something dramatic for the glory of Mormonism without revealing he was Mormon?


9 posted on 10/07/2017 8:03:14 AM PDT by jjotto ("Ya could look it up!")
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To: matt1234

I have that photo and he is not shaved definitely .


10 posted on 10/07/2017 8:13:36 AM PDT by Lionheartusa1 ()-: There is nothing democratic about the democrat party :-()
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To: wastedyears

There’s more than one billion Muslims on this planet. Sure looks like they converted way more people to their cause. There’should likely what only millions, and even then I would estimate that gays alone outnumber Mormons in the United States, and that’s probably where the per capita Mormon is highest.


11 posted on 10/07/2017 8:16:40 AM PDT by Morpheus2009
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To: TaxPayer2000

I am beginning to wonder who is more desperate to be noticed because of this tragedy, the kook conspiracy theorists or ISIS. At this point, I give both about equal consideration which is very little. I’m tired of both.

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/3592814/posts


12 posted on 10/07/2017 8:16:50 AM PDT by mazda77
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To: Lionheartusa1

He looked shaved to me.


13 posted on 10/07/2017 8:17:27 AM PDT by matt1234 (Jan. 20, 2017: the national nightmare ended.)
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To: TaxPayer2000

ISIS=Antifa=DNC

KTA


14 posted on 10/07/2017 8:27:12 AM PDT by SirLurkedalot (10/10/51-7/7/16 RIP Dad, I'll be missing you until I cross over to Eternity)
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To: matt1234
There is a leaked picture of paddock dead from an apparently self inflicted wound. In that picture, his head and face are fully shaved.

I saw that. The guy was aging and had little hair to begin with so he wore it real short. He also had his usual thin beard stubble thing which is noticeable on the right side of his face. He looked like he did in other photos from what you could see of him.

15 posted on 10/07/2017 8:28:30 AM PDT by plain talk
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To: jjotto

You could say that for any potential motive this guy might have had, if he left no clues to “why”. Why did he do it if he was angry at society, and not leave a message? Why did he do it if he was depressed and suicidal and didn’t leave a message? why did he do it if he were targeting a certain political movement and not leave a message?

Regardless of why this guy did it he apparently didn’t leave any kind of message or trail explaining his mindset.


16 posted on 10/07/2017 8:33:15 AM PDT by snarkytart
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To: TaxPayer2000
Paddock, a frequent gambler and drinker by most accounts

When the 9/11 attackers knew they were going to die killing Infidels, didn't they drink, use prostitutes and carouse? After all, die killing non-Muslims and you gain immediate paradise and a bunch'a virgins!

17 posted on 10/07/2017 8:33:51 AM PDT by JimRed ( TERM LIMITS, NOW! Build the Wall Faster! TRUTH is the new HATE SPEECH.)
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To: alloysteel
Possible, probable even, but still not substantiated by any concrete and verifiable source.

Who other than the certifiably insane or a Muslim is willing to die in order to kill others? What more verification do we need? It was Jihad, pure and simple. Mosques should be burning by now.

18 posted on 10/07/2017 8:37:08 AM PDT by JimRed ( TERM LIMITS, NOW! Build the Wall Faster! TRUTH is the new HATE SPEECH.)
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To: matt1234

The picture I saw hows a light goatee type beard and you CAN see hair, not stubble, on his right side of the head.


19 posted on 10/07/2017 8:37:36 AM PDT by TruBluKentuckian
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To: mazda77

They have gone off they rails, haven’t they.


20 posted on 10/07/2017 8:38:34 AM PDT by TruBluKentuckian
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