News / Africa

Al Shabab Opens New Twitter Account

An illustration picture shows the logo of the Website Twitter, January 30, 2013.  An illustration picture shows the logo of the Website Twitter, January 30, 2013.
x
An illustration picture shows the logo of the Website Twitter, January 30, 2013.
An illustration picture shows the logo of the Website Twitter, January 30, 2013.
TEXT SIZE - +
VOA News
Somali insurgent group al-Shabab has opened a new Twitter account in English, 10 days after its previous account on the social media site was suspended.

The group opened the new account Sunday with a series of messages, including one that said silencing al-Shabab on Twitter only highlights the group's cause and justifies the actions of mujahideen.

The al-Shabab English account was shut down late last month, after the group used the service to announce it had killed a French hostage and showed graphic photos of a French soldier killed during a rescue attempt.

The insurgents also used Twitter to release a video in which they threatened to kill a group of Kenyan hostages.

Al-Shabab's Arabic and Somali-language accounts were not suspended.

As of Monday, the group's new English-language account still had fewer than 1,000 followers.

You May Like

Russia Cracks Down on Gay Activism

Arrest of 30 activists coincided with first-ever gay rights rally in neighboring Ukraine, which was allowed by authorities, protected by police More

In Hong Kong, Beef Over Sammy Kitchen's 3D Cow

Much to the dismay of restaurant owner Sammy Yip, authorities have turned an inhospitable eye toward his giant cow looming over Queen's Road West More

Cambodian Documentary Wins Cannes Prize for Innovative Cinema

In 'The Missing Picture', Rithy Panh uses clay figurines to tell story of Khmer Rouge brutality More

Featured Videos

Your JavaScript is turned off or you have an old version of Adobe's Flash Player. Get the latest Flash player.
Your JavaScript is turned off or you have an old version of Adobe's Flash Player. Get the latest Flash player.
Video

Video Volunteers Help Revive LA's Concrete River

The Los Angeles River is a concrete drainage channel through much of its 80-kilometer length. It channels waste-water from storm drains and has become a receptacle for much of the city's trash. But as Mike O'Sullivan reports, the river is slowly being restored with the help of volunteers, who take part in an annual clean-up.