Is Jihad Unspun a CIA creation?

The Web as al-Qaida's safety net

<snip>Some Web watchers, including Katz, believe the U.S. government may be using the Internet jihad to spy. They speculate that Jihad Unspun, an English-language site that appears to promote terror, may be a CIA creation, designed to find out who visits or orders videos glorifying bin Laden.

A lengthy notice on Jihad Unspun denies the allegations, saying the site is "a labor of love for Allah." Bruce Kennedy, identified on the site as editor in chief, said by e-mail that Jihad Unspun's operators "are not doing any interviews with American press at this time." A CIA spokesman denied the site has any connection to the agency.

Experts say the jihad Web sites have proliferated with little attention from the American public because most are in Arabic. But they are widely read by young male Web surfers in Muslim countries, the ideal demographic for al-Qaida recruits.

And while some content comes from al-Jazeera television and other legitimate sources, it is often juxtaposed with explicit appeals for terror.

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