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The Spokesman-Review Newspaper
Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883

‘Die Hard’ for jihadists? IS recruits with heroic tales

This image made from video posted on a militant website July 5, 2014, purports to show the leader of the Islamic State group, Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, delivering a sermon at a mosque in Iraq during his first public appearance. The Islamic State is targeting Western recruits with videos suggesting they too can be a hero like Bruce Willis character in Die Hard. (Uncredited / AP)
By Deb Riechmann Associated Press

WASHINGTON – The Islamic State is targeting Western recruits with videos suggesting they, too, can be heroes like Bruce Willis’ character in “Die Hard.”

That’s the conclusion of research at The Chicago Project on Security and Threats, which analyzed some 1,400 videos released by IS between 2013 and 2016.

Director Robert Pape says the extremist group is targeting Westerners – especially recent Muslim converts – with videos that follow, nearly step-by-step, a screenwriter’s standard blueprint for heroic storytelling.

Other terrorism researchers think the message is still firmly rooted in religious extremism.

Rita Katz is at SITE Intelligence Group, which tracks messaging by militant groups. Katz says IS has slick cinematics, yet the productions are less about the promise of being a Hollywood-esque hero, and more about becoming a religious hero.