Video of a man in Houston pledging his allegiance to the Islamic State (IS) terror group as police escort him from a local mosque is causing concern among terrorism analysts who warn that the terror group is gaining adherents here in the United States.
A Muslim-American man identifying himself as Abdul-Rahman Baghdadi uploaded to YouTube late last month a video that appears to show him being escorted by police from a Houston-area mosque following a dispute over his wardrobe.
Baghdadi, who has expressed sympathy for IS (also known as ISIL and ISIS) on his Twitter feed, is seen on the video wearing a shirt bearing the flag commonly associated with the terror group. He then vocally expresses dedication to IS’ leader as he is removed from the mosque.
As two police officers escort Baghdadi from the mosque, he turns to a friend with a video camera and asks, "In front of the police officers, can you please record this."
Baghdadi can then be seen raising his hand and pledging allegiance to notorious IS leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi.
"May Allah protect Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi," he can be heard saying.
"I don’t know what that means," one of the two police officers responds.
"He’s the caliph of the Islamic State," Baghdadi says.
National security analyst Ryan Mauro, who first reported on the video for the Clarion Project, said the footage is an example of how IS propaganda is winning backers stateside.
"The video is shocking because it shows how brazen this ISIS supporter is," Mauro told the Washington Free Beacon. "The in-your-face, attention-seeking style is common among ISIS supporters around the world online, but this is happening in Houston."
"This individual is abrasive and lewd in his tweets, a common feature of ISIS supporters and the next generation of jihadists," Mauro explained. "You could never imagine [Osama] Bin Laden making crude wisecracks or expressing affection for some parts of Western pop culture, but ISIS is winning the next generation with this modernized style."
Baghdadi’s tweets and statements in videos he has posted online indicate that he may be new to Islam.
"He says on Twitter that he's an ‘early student,’ indicating he's a recent convert to Islam," Mauro said. "The Western ISIS recruits are largely relatively new converts. They join the religion of Islam and their understanding is crafted by Islamist radicals who teach them how to relate it to global politics."
At other points in the video Baghdadi attempts to explain the history of IS and why it is waging a terror war across Iraq and other parts of the Middle East.
"Our eyes are on Jerusalem," he states at an earlier point in the video.
Baghdadi appears to have been removed from the mosque, identified by Clarion as the Islamic Society of Greater Houston (ISGH), due to his controversial wardrobe.
The IS logo can be spotted on Baghdadi’s shirt as he turns his back to the camera.
A person who answered the phone at ISGH confirmed that an incident resembling that of the video occurred, but refused to provide additional details. A further request for comment sent to ISGH was not returned.
Houston police confirmed to the Washington Free Beacon that the "two incidents transpired" at ISGH, one on Aug. 7 and another on Sept. 3, thought it is unclear which of those two episodes was posted to YouTube.
"We had officers respond to a call for service regarding a trespasser," a police official confirmed. "He was escorted off the property after the property owners made it clear to police that male was not allowed or not welcome on the property."
The person in question "was repeatedly asked to leave and initially refused," the police official said. "That’s when officers responded. He was not arrested because he did comply" with the request to leave the premises.
Other videos on Baghdadi’s YouTube account appear to show similar confrontations at other area mosques, which seem to be put off by Baghdadi’s displays.
"One positive feature of the videos is how hostile the Texas mosques are to him," explained Mauro. "They want nothing to do with him and threaten to press charges on him for trespassing. This could be solely due to his display of loyalty to ISIS on his clothing and/or due to conduct we don't see on tape."
His Twitter account is also full of images concerning to analysts.
Some show the IS logo being stuck onto various vehicles and highway sings, while others show them being placed on public signs, according to a collection of the tweets published by Clarion.
This type of behavior highlights the potential threat posed by Americans who are sympathetic to IS, particularly those who might attempt to travel to Syria or other countries to fight alongside the group.
Some lawmakers have claimed in recent weeks that IS fighters have been arrested along the southern border, while others have warned about Americans who have returned home after fighting alongside the group.
"By my count, at least seven Americans have been arrested this year as they tried to make their way to Syria to join ISIS or a similar jihadist group," Mauro said. "An eighth was arrested as he planned to join Hezbollah in Syria to defend the Assad regime. "These numbers are small, but remember that the Boston Marathon bombings were carried out by only two brothers."