WORLD> Europe
British agency pushing counter-terror propaganda to media
(Agencies)
Updated: 2008-08-26 10:33

LONDON -- A British government agency is funnelling anti-Al-Qaeda propaganda to news organisations in a bid to damage the global terror network's "brand", The Guardian reported Tuesday.

File photo shows a computer keyboard with Latin and Arabic keys. A British government agency is funnelling anti-Al-Qaeda propaganda to news organisations in a bid to damage the global terror network's "brand", The Guardian newspaper has reported. [Agencies]

Citing a secret Home Office document it had seen, the daily also said that the ministry plans to utilise websites to "channel messages ... in internet forums".

According to the paper, the report compiled by the Research, Information and Communication Unit (RICU) and dated July 21, 2008, said: "We are pushing this material to UK media channels, eg a BBC radio programme exposing tensions between AQ (Al-Qaeda) leadership and supporters."

"And a restricted working group will communicate niche messages through media and non-media."

It advises officials to "avoid suggesting that AQ is no longer a threat."

"We are not claiming victory over AQ. We are stressing their declining support."

The dossier, which is reportedly being sent to British embassies and consulates around the world, also includes reports from a variety of news sources, from Middle Eastern and North African news outlets to the New York Times and Newsweek magazine.

The news reports are included to show condemnation of Al-Qaeda from a range of individuals, from leading Islamic scholars to American counter-terrorism analysts.