Islamic death threat targets U.S. radio host

JERUSALEM – A top U.S. radio talk show host has become the subject of an Islamist Internet death threat, WND has learned.

Rusty Humphries, whose show is broadcast on over 250 stations through Talk Radio Network, was the target of the tirade, posted on a blog powered by Google entitled, "The Jew Report." Humphries is an outspoken critic of Islamic terrorism and a strong supporter of the U.S.-led war on terror.

The author of the online threat apparently confused Humphries for Rusty Shackleford, the pseudonym used by the proprietor of the popular My Pet JAWA Report website, which focuses on exposing online support of Islamic terrorism.

Alongside a dated picture of Humphries posing with commentator and star blogger Michelle Malkin, the threat begins: "Yes this Fat descusting (sic) pig you are looking at is the boss of the website Jawareport.com but their are many fat kafirs like him you might ask why are we talking about him here's why."

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The blog claimed Muslims in Florida are being "harassed" because of Humphries, while his "work," seemingly as Shackleford, led to the raiding of mosques and police interrogations of Muslims.

Continued the blog: "The Shaabab and muslim Leaders have said enough is enough he has to go and they dont mean move....Inshallah we will see his Fat rottan (sic) torso dumped in the side of the road or in some Florida swamp."

Humphries immediately reported the threat to local and federal law enforcement agencies, which initiated investigations.

The talk host was taken aback that he could be confused for Shackleford, especially since he's interviewed Shackleford several times on his live, three-hour daily show.

"If I was going to have a fake identity, I'd come up with something a lot more creative than simply changing my last name," Humphries quipped.

He slammed the author of the blog as a "coward" and told WND the threat highlights the Islamic fundamentalist penchant for promoting the idea of grand conspiracies.

"Everything is a huge conspiracy to the terrorists," said Humphries. "On my many travels to the Mideast, I've been told by Muslims it was the Jews who sent Monica Lewinsky to Bill Clinton so the Jews could rule the U.S. The terrorists believe the West is plotting the extermination of Islam."

"Now they believe that I'm Rusty Shackleford. Ha. I wish I was part of a conspiracy. I'd like that big paycheck I'd probably get for it," he said. "I have great respect for the work Rusty Shackleford has done in stopping extremist websites from spewing vile hate against America online."

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Humphries said while he is taking the online threat seriously, he will continue his hard-hitting radio broadcasts.

"These threats only prove me right," he said. "The terrorist response to anyone who points out their violent and hypocritical ways is just to threaten more violence and destruction."

"First it was Michael Savage who was banned from traveling to the U.K. for his views. Now death threats to me for my views? What will it take to reawaken America?" he continued.

In an interview with WND, Shackleford cited regular threats against him as impetus for keeping anonymous.

"I have spent years exposing the online activities of Islamists who believe that church and state ought not be separate, and who also believe that violence is a legitimate means towards that ends," he said. "I will continue to expose the individuals responsible for the organized efforts at legitimizing al-Qaida, terrorism and violent political Islam on the Internet regardless of the threats I receive."

Threats tied to pro-al-Qaida website?

The registrar information for the "Jew Report" blog with the threat against Humphries is currently private.

The author of the blog identifies himself as "Musab," an online user who has issued numerous death threats in the past against Shackleford, some decorated with violent graphics.

Other postings by Musab on both his current blog and a former blog of the same namesake hailed an American Islamist who has been accused of promoting terrorist ideology and posting apparent threats against New York Jewish organizations.

In an example, Musab posts pictures of the slaughter of a goat by Yousef Al-Khattab, the U.S.-based CEO of RevolutionMuslim.com, an Islamic extremist website.

Khattab can be seen standing over the blood-drenched animal, with captions in which death threats are issued against Shackleford.

In February, WND reported Khattab's website issued a series of videos targeting the New York headquarters of Chabad, a Jewish outreach movement, just two months after the group was rocked by a deadly terrorist attack in Mumbai, India.

His videos also ask viewers to "give the Islamic message" to Yeshiva University, a Manhattan-based Jewish college, as well as "Jewish Federation buildings all over the U.S." in response to the institutions' purported funding for Israel amid its recent offensive against Hamas in the Gaza Strip.

The apparent threats resulted in a New York Police Department investigation and a beefed-up police presence outside the Chabad headquarters.

Contacted by WND, Khattab said he is not behind the Jew Report blog with the death threat against Humphries, but he conceded he "might" know who is the author.

A source specializing in tracing Internet threats told WND Musab is based in Dublin, Ireland, where he also has interacted on other forums with a blogger from Charlotte, N.C., Samir Khan, who runs a pro-al-Qaida blog entitled Inshallahshaheed.

Khan is a 23-year-old Saudi-born American citizen who produces his fundamentalist material from his parents' home, where he serves as a kind of Western public relations facilitator for the multimedia productions of violent Islamic groups.

Khan has been profiled by the New York Times and FoxNews.com. In his interview with the Times, Khan explained how he spreads the word of al-Qaida and commented the U.S. needs to "listen to (Osama bin Laden) very carefully and take his message with great seriousness."

Khan told WND in an e-mail exchange he does not know who is behind the Jew Report blog.

Humphries likely not a terrorist favorite

Aside from his career as a radio host, Humphries is also a successful song and jingle writer. Some of his compilations may not have won him fans among Islamic extremists. One of his musical CD's is entitled "Bomb Iraq: Rusty Humphries Takes On the Terrorists;" while another, "Thank Allah I'm a Jihad Boy," pokes fun at Islamofascism.

Humphries has traveled to the Middle East and Europe on numerous occasions to investigate the war on terrorism. He broadcast from Iraq and Afghanistan, and visited the U.S. detention facility at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, several times, once delivering a speech to U.S. personnel stationed there.

In 2005, Humphries ventured into the West Bank city of Nablus, where he conducted an in-person interview with the senior, gun-toting leadership of the Al Aqsa Martyrs Brigades terrorist organization. The Brigades took responsibility for every suicide bombing in Israel in 2005, 2006, and 2006.

A year later, Humphries interviewed the top leaders of the Al Aqsa Martyrs Brigades in Bethlehem.

During his initial interview with the Brigades, Humphries visibly agitated his terrorist subjects when he repeatedly asked them to point out where the Quran mentions 72 virgins as reward for "martyrdom," armed with the knowledge that the Islamic book does not once list 72 virgins.

"They just kept flipping through the Quran they had and kept trying to change the subject," related Humphries. "They realized they were caught in another lie."

Indeed, after pronouncing several times the issue of 72 virgins comes directly from the Quran, Ala Senakreh, the overall Brigades leader, finally conceded in the recorded interview, "The virgins are not mentioned in the Quran, but the experts [who] interpret it considered 72 virgins. Virgins are mentioned in the Quran, but not the number of 72."

"I learned from talking to the terrorists in person that when you peel away all their lies, there is no foundation to what they are doing," said Humphries.

In 2006, Humphries reported from Islamic protests in London and from the city's famous Central Mosque. As WND reported, he documented one protest in which Muslim crowds called for the death of the Queen and the replacement of the U.S. and Britain with Islamic states.

Humphries show airs on over 250 stations through Talk Radio Network. He has been named one of "America's 100 Most Important Radio Talk Show Hosts" for nine years in a row and was nominated "Talk Personality Of The Year" by Radio & Records. Humphries was inducted into the Nevada Broadcasters Hall of Fame as its youngest inductee ever.