Al-Qaida group's media directed at U.S.

PHILADELPHIA, March 2 (UPI) -- U.S. counter-terrorism experts say terror groups such as al-Qaida of the Arabian Peninsula are using media to attract U.S. members.

They cite a recent issue of the Yemen-based terror group's magazine, Inspire, and online publications as ways such organizations reach out to potential members in the United States, The Philadelphia Inquirer reported Wednesday.

"To bring down America, we do not need to strike big," a recent Inspire article said. "The strategy [is] a thousand cuts. The aim is to bleed the enemy to death."

The article noted that, while bombs were discovered on a UPS cargo plane at the Philadelphia International Airport, the effort cost only $4,200.

"We haven't seen al-Qaida use new media like this to attract Americans," said U.S. Rep. Patrick Meehan, R-Pa., a former U.S. attorney in Philadelphia. "This is a new age of terrorism."

Inspire is "so kitsch, at first glance it appears over the top, but this is intentionally so," Jarret Brachman, who runs the terrorism consulting firm Cronus Global LLC, told the Inquirer.

Brachman said the magazine employs business concepts of branding and gaming, offering frequent flyer or reward programs to entice consumers to buy.

"It's almost comic book-like, with elements of American pop culture, but in a way that attracts people by making it seem like a game," he said. "And it inspires them by lowering the barrier in a way that helps them make the jump from the virtual word into the real world."