Cybersecurity

Facebook used by arms dealers to sell jihadis guns, tanks and missiles across Syria, Gaza and Iraq

Arms dealers located in Egypt, Syria, Libya, Gaza and Iraq are using Facebook to sell a wide range of weapons, missiles and tanks to various parties in the Middle East who need from, ranging from Kurdish rebels to Islamic State (Isis) fighters and Hamas paramilitaries.

On Tuesday 23 February, the Syrians News website and other Arabic online sites broke the news that it is possible to buy US weapons meant for the CIA and the Pentagon on Facebook – as well as Soviet-era grenade launchers – on a page belonging to arms dealers located in Idlib, Syria.

The news was picked up by a couple of UK national newspapers including The Mirror, and Facebook quickly took the page down. However, an investigation by IBTimes UK has uncovered an additional 11 other communities and shops dedicated to supplying firearms to people in the Middle East on Facebook, and the traders are catering to a wide audience − pretty much anyone at all who would like to buy a firearm or military equipment...

http://www.ibtimes.co.uk/facebook-used-by-arms-dealers-sell-jihadis-guns-tanks-missiles-across-syria-gaza-iraq-1546011