Yihad America: The reemergence of Islamic State’s Latin American campaign
By Harold Chambers
Latin America has come into focus due to the region’s strategic position along the logistical route northward into the United States and its ties to Islamic State provinces, namely Spain and Mozambique. For now, regional supporters primarily exist online, with attempts at real-world activity constrained and thwarted. However, recent activities have yielded potential for offline attacks.
IS’s Latin American online supporters—where identifiable—have originated from Argentina, Brazil, Mexico, and Uruguay. A small number of users in Suriname have appeared in Southeast Asian IS social media networks, likely due to historical ties.
Online, Latin American supporters demonstrate varying levels of engagement. The Brazilian faction appears to be the largest and most committed group of online supporters. The following most active users have been young users from Uruguay and Mexico. Many of the remaining users cannot be identified by their native country, although they may be active in the Latin American and Spanish-language IS digital communities.
While translating and sharing propaganda comprise the bulk of their online activity, supporters also discuss improving tactics and troubleshooting their own plans. These discussions have ranged from calling for large-scale arson of crops to non-lethal improved explosives with black pepper and glass. The latter was intended to be used in the event that police attempted an arrest. Brazilian supporters, in particular, have sought advice to overcome problems in their attack plans. One user lamented how the unavailability of acetone inhibited manufacturing explosives. The procurement of firearms has also been a problem. Users cautioned against acquiring guns from dark web marketplaces, instead suggesting building one from scratch or with 3D printing, or grabbing one off a police officer during an attack. Latin American supporters have also provided advice on radios, building drones, and manufacturing explosives.
Regional supporters have evolved in recent months, becoming more careful and less active online. This is partly due to changes in social media’s moderation practices, but even more so because of a series of high-profile arrests. For example, the arrest of a founder of the largest Spanish-language room on an IS forum (in the current wave of activity).2 Their content called for innovative attacks, translation, and networking services. This user also made efforts to demonstrate their support beyond digital activity, spreading leaflets and filming videos publicly promoting IS. These videos were then shared on social media and other channels to inspire fellow supporters to take public action. Another noteworthy case involves a young Brazilian arrested on March 13, 2025, in São Paulo, illustrating how IS’s digital presence has extended into geographic peripheries, making it more challenging to track such supporters online.
Offline, individuals promoting propaganda, recruiting, or planning attacks on behalf of IS have been arrested in Brazil (30), Argentina (10), and Uruguay (1).1 Supporters have also been identified in Ecuador and previously in Jamaica and Trinidad and Tobago. In addition, IS-linked foreign fighters from Egypt, Iraq, or Khorasan Province affiliates have travelled through Latin America, attempting to reach the United States.
Despite the current limited transference of digital support to the real world, IS’s Latin American supporters continue to look for innovative ways to conduct attacks in the future. Online activity has played a crucial role in facilitating personal networking for plots and sharing knowledge for attack planning in the region. Disrupting the digital communications within the region and internationally is thus ideal to inhibit IS threats in Latin America.
