Al-Hesbah

{{Short description|Arabic-language jihadist message board}} {{Use dmy dates|date=April 2026}} '''Al-Hesbah''' was an Arabic-language jihadist message board and has been called "one of the most widely used jihadist Internet forums".<ref name="cbs">{{cite news|title=Was London Bomb Plot Heralded on Web |url=https://www.cbsnews.com/news/was-london-bomb-plot-heralded-on-web/ | publisher=CBS | author=Reals, Tucker | date=29 June 2007 | access-date=30 June 2007| archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20070701155251/http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2007/06/29/terror/main2997517.shtml| archive-date= 1 July 2007 | url-status= live}}</ref> On 17 October 2008, it was reported that four of Al Qaeda's five main websites were dismantled, and that Al Hesbah had become the only major Al Qaeda-linked website still in existence on the web.<ref name="ALHe1">{{cite news|title=Al Qaeda Website Forums Abruptly Taken Offline | url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/10/17/AR2008101703367.html?hpid=topnews| newspaper=Washington Post | author=D., Ellen | date=17 October 2008 | accessdate=18 October 2008}}</ref>

In March 2006, the site was accused by members of the rival Jihadist forum Tajdeed of aiding in the arrest of the well-known cyber-persona of ''Irhabi 007'', a representative of Al-Qaeda in Iraq. This led to the site administrators shutting down the site on 26 March, stating that they had discovered the identities of two members of the site who were actual security officers, Muhammad al-Zuhayri and Muhammad Tamallat.<ref name="jamestown">{{cite web |url=http://jamestown.org/terrorism/news/article.php?articleid=2369957 |title=Intelligence War Breaks out on the Jihadi Forums |publisher=The Jamestown Foundation |author=Ulph, Stephen |date=11 April 2006 |access-date=30 June 2007 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070413021525/http://jamestown.org/terrorism/news/article.php?articleid=2369957 |archive-date=13 April 2007 |url-status=dead |df=dmy-all }}</ref>

In April 2006, the site was accused of aiding the arrests of 40 mujahideen in Saudi Arabia, drawing claims that it was either "heavily monitored", or working in actual connection with, Saudi security forces.<ref name="jamestown"/>

On 4 August 2006, the site again caught attention when it released a communique entitled ''How to Kill a Crusader in the Arabian Peninsula''.<ref>{{cite web | url=http://memri.org/bin/articles.cgi?Page=archives&Area=sd&ID=SP126306 | title=Special Dispatch Series – No. 1263 | publisher=Middle East Media Research Institute | date=25 August 2006 | access-date=30 June 2007| archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20070711010834/http://memri.org/bin/articles.cgi?Page=archives&Area=sd&ID=SP126306| archive-date= 11 July 2007 | url-status= live}}</ref>

On 29 June 2007, the site was found to have a warning possibly related to the failed 2007 London car bombs in London, England.<ref name="cbs"/>

On 22 October 2008, a message on the site threw support behind John McCain in the 2008 United States election.<ref>{{cite news | title=Al-Qaida-linked Web site backs McCain as president | url=http://ap.google.com/article/ALeqM5iFK9c9KTpdbjhYyuWIlZyAuyqeJgD93VA3B80 | publisher=Associated Press | author=Hess, Pamela | date=22 October 2008 | access-date=22 October 2008 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081024044002/http://ap.google.com/article/ALeqM5iFK9c9KTpdbjhYyuWIlZyAuyqeJgD93VA3B80 | archive-date=24 October 2008 | url-status=dead | df=dmy-all }}</ref><ref>{{cite news | title=On Al-Qaeda Web Sites, Joy Over U.S. Crisis, Support for McCain | url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/10/21/AR2008102102477.html?hpid=topnews | newspaper=Washington Post | author1=Warrick, Joby | author2=DeYoung, Karen | date=22 October 2008 | accessdate=22 October 2008}}</ref>

==References== {{Reflist}}

Category:Pan-Islamism Category:Political Internet forums Category:Sunni Islamic websites Category:Salafi Jihadism Category:Al-Qaeda propaganda