U.S. and European cops just torpedoed Islamic State’s online propaganda machine

European and U.S. law enforcement agencies claimed Friday to have crippled the Islamic State group’s online propaganda machine and “punched a big hole” in its ability to spread propaganda by knocking offline their main news outlet.

The takedown targeted the online infrastructure of the Amaq news agency, the group’s main propaganda outlet, as well as smaller outlets including al-Bayan radio, Halumu, and Nashir news. Europol said the raids compromised the group’s “capability to broadcast and publicise terrorist material.”

Launched in 2014, Amaq has been used by ISIS to claim credit for attacks, including deadly assaults in Paris, Brussels, Barcelona and Berlin.

The operation, which took place Wednesday and Thursday, was coordinated by Europol and involved law enforcement agencies from the U.K., Belgium, Bulgaria, Canada, France, the Netherlands, Romania, and the United States.

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Servers used by ISIS were seized in the Netherlands, Canada and the U.S., along with digital material in Bulgaria, France and Romania.

“With this ground-breaking operation we have punched a big hole in the capability of ISIS to spread propaganda online and radicalize young people in Europe,” Rob Wainwright said in a statement.

As an indication of how important the action this week could be, Europol said a previous stage of the campaign in 2016 allowed law enforcement agencies to identify radicalized individuals in more than 100 countries around the world.

Charlie Winter, an expert on the terror group’s online communications, disputes some of Europol’s claims, pointing out that since the action took place, Amaq has released 17 statements and one video.

Winter concedes that the video did not come through the usual channels, suggesting “the back end of Amaq has indeed been compromised.”

While ISIS has been driven from its so-called caliphate in Syria and Iraq, the U.N. warned this week it is regrouping and linking up with groups including Boko Haram and al-Qaeda in Africa to drive more migrants toward Europe.

Cover image: A heavily-armed Belgian police officer stands guard outside the De Brouckere metro station on March 23, 2016 in Brussels, Belgium. (Adam Berry/Getty Images)