How Social Media became conduit for spreading terror

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Since April 2015 when three terror suspects were arrested while travelling to Somalia to join Al Shabaab, Kenyan youths have increasingly been radicalised and recruited into terror groups through social media. The three, investigations revealed, had been recruited through WhatsApp, and were to meet a contact person who would facilitate their movement.

Terrorists use various social media platforms to inspire their sympathisers and instill fear. These platforms have been used to give instructions on how to join militant groups, and how to make bombs and other weapons of mass destruction. It is also the primary platform used to claim responsibility for terrorist attacks. During the 2013 Westgate Mall attack, the terrorists used Twitter to provide real-time information on how they were carrying out the massacre.