The terrorist who appeared in the latest Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) video, which threatens attacks on the UK, is believed to be an Indian-origin British Muslim convert, media reports said today.
Siddhartha Dhar, also known as Abu Rumaysah, had skipped bail and fled Britain in 2014 with his wife and their four children to join ISIS in Syria.
Born a Hindu, the 32-year-old used to run a business renting out bouncy castles in London before converting to Islam and joining the UK-based radical Islamist group Al Muhajiroun.
An official source told the BBC that Dhar has been the focus of investigations after the release of the video, which purports to show the killing of five men who, according to ISIS, were spying for the UK.
Dhar’s mother and sister have also watched the video released by ISIS on Sunday and noticed similarities between the voice of the masked terrorist, being referred to as the “new Jihadi John” by the British media, and Siddhartha Dhar.
Sobita Dhar, mother of Siddhartha Dhar told The Daily Telegraph:
I heard the voice, yes, but I don’t know, I’m not sure of the voice. These are the most difficult questions to answer. I just cannot say. I’m not sure within myself whether it is the truth or not.
His sister, Konika Dhar, from north London, said:
I believed the audio to resemble, from what I remember, the voice of my brother but having viewed the short clip in detail, I wasn’t entirely convinced which put me at ease. I can’t believe it. This is just so shocking for me. I don’t know what the authorities are doing to confirm the identity, but I need to know if it is him.
She said her brother had converted to Islam more than 10 years ago and her memories of him are from when they were children and teenagers. “He was a very pleasant boy, and I know it may be hard to believe but he still is, and I still believe that he still can be that person,” she added.
One of Dhar’s former business associates told the BBC that he had “no doubt” that the voice on the video was that of Dhar, who had been arrested on suspicion of encouraging terrorism by the British police but was later able to travel to Syria after being granted bail.
His former neighbours from Walthamstow in east London claimed Dhar’s wife was more devout than him and suggested that she may have put him on the path to extremism. In the months leading up to his arrest, Dhar was accused of calling for the imposition of Sharia law in Britain.
Watch the ISIS video on The Daily Mail.
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