Threats over Al Qaeda jokes

David Letterman has reportedly been targeted by jihadist death threats after making jokes about Al Qaeda.

New York police and the FBI are investigating claims that an extremist called on ‘righteous Muslims in America’ to ‘cut the tongue of this lowly Jew and shut it forever’.

The threat was made on the Shumuka al-Islam forum after Letterman – who was raised Presbyterian – joked about the killing of Osama Bin Laden’s successor Ilyas Kashmiri by US drones.

According to the SITE Intelligence Group, a private company that monitors online jihadist chatter, the poster, who went by the name of Umar al-Basrawi, was upset that Letterman put a hand to his neck and demonstrated the ‘way of slaughter’ on his June 8 show.

He said: ‘[Letterman] showed his evil nature and deep hatred for Islam and Muslims… We ask Allah to paralyze his tongue and grant the sincere monotheists his neck.’

After Letterman’s Late Show studio audience cheered the news of Kashmiri’s death, the host made a reference to a gaffe Sarah Palin had made a few days earlier, saying: ‘They got off to a rocky start with this guy anyway; he botched up the story of Paul Revere.’ He also said the transition between Al Qaeda leaders was smoother than the changes of hosts on his rival Tonight chat show.

Terrorism expert Charles Strozier told amNY: ‘It could be a total hoax, and it probably is, but in this world of mass communication, something that seems frivolous can intensify if it gets picked up by the wrong people.’

Here is some of that monologue:

Published: 18 Aug 2011