Is ISIS Planning A Christmas Attack? Poster Shows Santa With Explosives

Less than a month before Christmas, the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria, also known as ISIS, has threatened to attack New York City in a chilling image.

According to the Daily Mail, the image was shared by ISIS fanatics which shows Santa Claus standing on a low roof looking out over a crowd of shoppers with a box of dynamite beside him. The poster also has a caption which says, “We meet at Christmas in New York…soon.”

According to reports, this photograph is one in a series of propaganda images warning attacks during Christmas across Europe.

According to a report in the Sun, the images are being released across ISIS-linked social media channels and the terror group has named Christmas markets across Europe as its target. The latest image of Santa Claus in front of Times Square comes just two days after another image was intercepted from the message board which showed a hooded figure looming behind Father Christmas while standing on London’s Regent Street. The message on the image in English, French, and German read “Soon on your holidays”.

The Daily Mail reported that the image was intercepted by BlackOps Cyber, which according to their website is “a globally-based multi-portal data acquisition network is the largest private sector collection agency of cyber threat intelligence in the world”.

The Sun also reported that another terrifying poster had also been shared which showed a blood-soaked hand gripping a knife, photoshopped in front of Eiffel Tower in Paris. Another poster also emerged on Nov. 27 by a pro-ISIS media group which showed images of jihadi and a wolf standing over a burning Vatican, the Daily Mail reported.

There was an accompanying message with the image that read: “Their convoys will crowd itself in front of you prepare and plan for them show them the meaning of terrorism kill them and do not hold back with your blood the reward is paradise and let them know that you are from an ummah [Muslim community] where mountains bow down to we will not forget our revenge for every drop of blood that they have shed we will not exclude the young, elderly or women you are all in the crosshairs of our arrows and what is about to come is more even worse.”

This images came just a week after a photo depicting Pope Francis being beheaded was shared. The image was shared by a chat group called Army of Mujahideen and appears to be designed by a user called Dr. Almani.

In lieu of these terrorizing images, the foreign office has issued a warning for travelers warning them to be “vigilant” as they prepare for the festive season. The warning read: “There may be increased security in place over the Christmas and New Year period, including at Christmas markets and other major events that might attract large crowds. You should be vigilant and follow the advice of local authorities.”

The warning has been issued for everyone traveling to Germany, France, Switzerland, and Sweden, the Sun reported.