If you've ever wondered just how far the Internet can be used by those who want to destroy our way of life, take a look at this article put out by the BBC News. regarding one of the worlds most wanted cyber jihadists...

When police raided a flat in West London in October 2005, they arrested a young man, originally from Morocco, called Younes Tsouli. They had no idea at the time, just how significant he was.

Younis Tsouli described himself online as Terrorist 007

From his bedroom on an ordinary road in Shepherds Bush, he had become one of the most notorious cyber-jihadists in the world.

The story of Younis Tsouli, or Terrorist 007 as he styled himself, reveals how virtual terrorist networks can emerge out of sight of the authorities and not only radicalise the young online but also help them carry out terrorist attacks.

Tsouli had begun browsing the web for extremist material but quickly became much more than an observer. He took on the user name of Irhabi 007 - Irhabi meaning Terrorist in Arabic.

He began posting advice on hacking and uploaded extremist propaganda but soon began to try to help those planning attacks.

Al-Qaeda link

Tsouli became a notorious cyber-jihadist from his bedroom in London

"He was explicitly looking for home movies from US soldiers that would show the inside of US bases in Iraq, so they could do a better job at launching attacks into those bases," explains Aaron Weisburd, a private cyber-tracker based in the US who watched Tsouli closely.

Extremists also began to recognise Tsouli's skills and his potential. As Iraq descended into violence, al-Qaeda's leaders there contacted Tsouli. They asked him to build websites and run web forums for them and soon he became the main distributor of video material from al-Qaeda in Iraq.

"Over the space of only two years, he become the undisputed king of internet terrorism," explains cyber-terrorism consultant Evan Kohlmann.

He also became first a moderator and then the administrator of one of the most important extremist websites which facilitated contacts between thousands of individuals.

"He... provided a link to core al-Qaeda, to the heart of al-Qaeda, and the wider network that he was linking into through the internet," explains Peter Clarke, the head of the Metropolitan Police counter-terrorism command.

Stolen information

Tsouli's websites were being shut down either when hosts realised they had been hijacked or when cyber-trackers or officials spotted one of Tsouli's own sites and shut it down.

What it did show us was the extent to which they could conduct operational planning on the internet Peter Clarke, Scotland Yard

This meant that Tsouli had to continually set up new websites to host the material. This required money. And here he was helped by two other associates, also arrested in October 2005.

They were Waseem Mughal and Tariq Al-Daour. Al-Daour was the money man. On his computer drives police would find 37,000 credit card details, including security codes.

These had been stolen in phishing attacks or purchased in on-line forums where stolen information circulates. Innocent people who thought they were simply following a link to verify their account information were unwittingly helping the group fund their terrorist activities.

Police identified more than 2.5m euros worth of fraudulent transactions carried out by him. Another remarkable aspect of this case is that there is no evidence Tsouli and Al-Daour ever met in person. They were connected through cyberspace, as so many others were in the broader network.

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