Washington: A BBC reporter who was researching online about jihadis got the shock of her life when she was proposed by an ISIS thug.
The reporter created an online profile with the name ‘Zahra’ and joined various social media groups, in a bid to get in touch with the jihadis for her research. Several men, including a man named ‘Mario’, contacted her.
While talking to Mario, she introduced herself as Zahra, a Muslim woman who wanted to join ISIS. Within 30 minutes of their conversation, Mario expressed his intention of marrying her. He also told her that a passport and a ticket to Turkey is all that is needed to join the terror group.
Mario also told her that he could send some of his brothers to pick her up if she revealed her current location to him.
The reporter who was disguised beneath a burqa said that she was very scared, even though she knew it was just an online conversation, yet the thought of talking to a terrorist scared her.
She said: 'I was looking into the eyes of a terrorist and was very nervous, I'll be honest. I knew he was miles away, it was just a computer screen, but my first reaction was he is a terrorist, an IS terrorist. An organisation known for beheading innocent people, raping women, killing children.'
She told the BBC that the terror group has spread its wings everywhere due to their social media presence. She also said that social media facilitates ISIS to address their messages to different audiences easily.
Zahra, the undercover reporter while talking to Mario, learned that he had been working with ISIS for over two years.
ISIS posts nearly 1,000 propaganda messages on social media on a monthly basis. It is believed to have around 50, 000 Twitter accounts that are aimed at recruiting jihadis from the Western countries.
