Overview
Twitter personality “Persian Witness” is a propagandist for ISIS believed to operate out of ISIS-controlled territory. In July 2015, Persian Witness created a new account under the handle @AhleFars2 after his @AhleFars (active January 2010 - June 2015) was suspended.
Persian Witness’s tweets praise military actions and violent acts carried out by ISIS.Persian Witness, Twitter post, June 6, 2015, 11:15 p.m., https://twitter.com/AhleFars/status/607400351025602562. His tweets and retweets often reference public services in the self-proclaimed Islamic State. These include photos of Chinese restaurants, a midwifery class, and even a budget plan to help the disabled.Persian Witness, Twitter post, January 6, 2015, 12:22 p.m., https://twitter.com/AhleFars/status/552530624402444288. Witness also posts photos portraying what appears to be ISIS territory. Persian Witness, Twitter post, April 30, 2015, 1:05 p.m., https://twitter.com/AhleFars/status/593838664909631488.
While Persian Witness is predominantly pro-ISIS, he has shown some support for ISIS’s al-Qaeda competitor, the Nusra Front. On June 6, 2015, Witness tweeted, “If you’re Happy that #Nusra lost position to #Hezbollah in #Qalamoun or #IS lost positions in #Tikrit to Rawafed, you need to check ur heart!” Persian Witness, Twitter post, June 6, 2015, 11:23 p.m., https://twitter.com/AhleFars/status/607402441764536320.
Persian Witness has published over 4,500 tweets and has approximately 3,000 followers. On June 10, 2015, he tweeted, “How to create a twitter handle If I get suspended? Twitter isn’t allowing the same email & new email wants mobile number ! : ( : (.”Persian Witness, Twitter post, June 10, 2015, 7:55 p.m., https://twitter.com/AhleFars/status/608799692336431105.
History
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