ISIS tells supporters to use Craigslist ads to lure hostages, murder victims

An Islamic State flag is seen in this picture illustration taken February 18, 2016. | Reuters/Dado Ruvic/Illustration/File Photo

The Islamic State terror group has urged its supporters to place fake advertisements on websites such as Craigslist and eBay in order to lure potential hostages or murder victims.

In the latest issue of Rumiyah magazine, the terror group laid out a guide on how to select a target and lure a potential victim to an appropriate location before "attacking, subduing, binding and then slaughtering them."

ISIS advised its supporters to place an advertisement for a job Muslims would not take, then "subdue" each victim as they arrive for an interview in rented offices, PJ Media reported.

Another tactic suggested by the group is to advertise for a small single room or studio apartment for rent. "It may even help to include in the ad that the apartment is 'ideal for students,'" the article stated.

The jihadi group also encouraged its supporters to advertise items for sale on buy and sell websites like eBay, Craigslist, Gumtree and the Loot and indicate that "collection and payment is only available in person and that only cash is accepted."

"Also, the item being advertised should be something that requires the victim to enter one's property," the article stated.

"It is likewise important to be realistic when advertising and not advertise something far below its valued price, as this can attract the attention of authorities searching for stolen goods or possibly attract other suspicions," it continued.

The guide advised readers to keep some of their victims as hostages in order to attract wide publicity and "more effectively plant terror into the hearts of the disbelievers."

The terror group recommended malls, movie theaters, nightclubs, ice-skating rinks, restaurants and college campuses as ideal places to carry out public hostage-taking operations. It advised jihadists to consider carrying out attacks on days when police and security forces are preoccupied with national or local events.

The guide said that jihadists should start killing hostages "as quickly as one can before the initial police response" and leave a few hostages alive as human shields.

The article also encourages ISIS supporters in the U.S. to acquire weapons at gun shows and shops. Jihadists in Europe are told to buy guns in conflict zones or from underground dealers.

Rumiyah magazine often features articles advising readers how to carry out attacks in Western countries. In a recent article, ISIS advised its supporters to plow vehicles into crowds, similar to the attacks in Westminster and Nice. The terror group said that this was one of the most effective methods of mass-murder.