DAMMAM: Terrorists have been using electronic communication platforms including social media sites to recruit the relatives of extremists, according to a report in a local publication on Friday.

They have been developing what has become known as “e-incubators” that includes setting up false accounts on Facebook, Twitter and YouTube with content targeting the families of members of Daesh, Al-Qaeda and other groups, the report said.

These groups initially launched a program called “Electronic Jihad” around 1995 using e-mails seeking recruits, particularly students. Al-Qaeda was the first organization to set up a website in 2000, according to the Sakinah Campaign.

With the launch of Facebook in 2003 and Twitter in 2006, the presence of terrorists online grew rapidly, attracting over 30,000 from 100 countries. Most of these fighters were drawn into the conflicts in Syria and Iraq. They were also urged to carry out attacks in their own countries.

According to digital expert Abdulrazzaq Abdulaziz Al-Murjan, Daesh wants to create cells in the Kingdom reporting directly to the organization in Syria. To do this they have been using Facebook, YouTube and Twitter, setting up accounts each with its own group of followers. The accounts are usually under false names, or those of real people.

The content posted are mainly lies about the Kingdom, including seeking sympathy for those detained on terror-related charges. Some of these online “cells” have over 11,000 followers.

These e-incubators support the husbands, wives, sons, daughters and other relatives of those arrested for planning attacks in the Kingdom. They are mainly used to recruit for Daesh and Al-Qaeda.

While calling for the release of detainees, they have also been actively involved in getting some of these family members to plan and launch attacks of their own. One such operation was the attack on emergency teams in Asir and Al-Qassim.

Al-Murjan said Al-Qaeda also attempted to launch a major offensive in the Fertile Crescent on April 20 this year, but this failed to gain support, according to the report.