IS inciting Ramadan attacks on West: Reports

“Ramadan, the month of conquest and jihad. Get prepared, be ready to make it a month of calamity everywhere for the non-believers especially for the fighters and supporters of the caliphate in Europe and America,” said the message, suggesting attacks on military and civilian targets. 

The authenticity of the audio clip, purporting to be from Abu Muhammad al-Adnani and distributed today by Twitter accounts that usually publish Islamic State statements, could not be verified. “The smallest action you do in their heartland is better and more enduring to us than what you would if you were with us. If one of you hoped to reach the Islamic State, we wish we were in your place to punish the Crusaders day and night,” Adnani said. 

The militant group, which seeks to establish a caliphate across the Middle East and beyond, has claimed deadly attacks over the past year on civilians in France, Belgium and the United States. But the message made no mention of the EgyptAir flight that crashed into the Mediterranean on Thursday.