India: Bengaluru Man Confesses to Managing Islamic State Twitter Account

Social-media debates are a magnet for the mentally ill, the marginalized and even educated professionals who are disenchanted with government, including dictatorships like that in Syria or their own democracies. Indian police have arrested a man accused of operating the most popular Islamic State Twitter account, @ShamiWitness, reports International Business Times. Bengaluru police suspect he was merely an online supporter with no direct connection to Islamic State. “The software engineer has been charged with offences including waging war against a friendly nation and violation of India's Information Technology Act,” reports Vasudevan Sridharan. The police report noted: “He was particularly close to the English-speaking terrorists of Isis and became a source of incitement and information for the new recruits trying to join Isis/Isil.” The Twitter account had 17,000 followers. Social media is a double-edged sword: Extremists recruit and motivate fighters while investigators collect evidence and track instigators. – YaleGlobal