ISIS are back at it, and in their latest bout of propaganda they have threatened to attack the Vatican and Pope Francis on Christmas.
In a new poster released on social media, a man can be seen driving a vehicle containing a backpack and a gun directly at the Vatican.
The poster reads: “Christmas blood” and depicts a single driver in a BMW.
Officials commenting on the perceived threat say it is unlikely that ISIS could pull off such an attack after recently losing their strongholds in Iraq and Syria, but because ISIS is turning to lone wolf attackers to do their work around the world, they have to take this threat seriously.
This is not the first time that ISIS has threatened the Vatican, as in August they released a video pleading for supporters to attack Pope Francis and terrorists were seen ripping up photos of the Pope.
“Wafa Media Foundation specializes in these types of graphics. Wafa’s threat, like others recently issued by pro-ISIS media groups, is a specific attack directive within a larger push by ISIS for lone wolf attacks as it rapidly loses territory in Iraq and Syria,” Rita Katz, director of the SITE Intelligence Group, told Newsweek.
“For ISIS, the Vatican in particular is a symbol of the ‘Crusader’ West, and any attack made against it would be widely accepted by all of its followers,” Katz explained.
