ISIS followers threaten Air Force father, son on social media

An unidentified Air Force father and his teenage son have been targeted by ISIS followers, receiving offensive messages on their Facebook pages.

According to FOX News, the incident took place after Islamic State sympathizers urged followers to target U.S. military members and their families on social media.  A few weeks earlier, the U.S. Army had issued a bulletin warning troops that ISIS may attempt to track down their families and harass them.  The bulletin stated that the militants had went as far to ask supporters to find addresses of the families and “show up (at their homes) and slaughter them.”

The father and son incident happened around the same time the bulletin was issued.  A source stated that the Air Force Member had posted pictures online from a flight over Iraq during recent bombings.  ISIS found the man’s Facebook profile, linked through it to his son’s profile and then swarmed them both with harassing messages.

“This is the real deal” the source said.  “They want to find them, raise their profile, in the eyes of a potential “lone wolf.”

Both Facebook accounts are now inactive.

The Department of Defense is aware of the incident.  It has been confirmed to FOX News that the event, comprised of a bombardment of online flash-mob-style attacks, prompt the release of the Army bulletin.

A post on an ISIS-linked Twitter account said, “We have a raid on an American pilot account at 9:00 evening Mecca time who is participating in the crusaders’ bombing.  Retweet this if you are ready to be part of the raid.”

Army troops have been warned to limit the number of people with access to their Facebook accounts and other social media sites.  ISIS has even suggested to the followers to use the Yellow Pages to find information on the military members and their families.

The Army has issued a statement that protection levels “have not changed” at their installations.  However, the bulletin has now been released outside the Army to include Marine Corps and Naval organizations.

“This document (the bulletin) is a reminder to stay vigilant,” the Army wrote.  “It provides renewed emphasis on force protection measures to ensure the safety and security of our DOD components, defense critical infrastructure, personnel and communities.”