Nasser Muthana is said to appear in the sickening video which shows the decapitated body of an American aid worker
A UK medical student was last night suspected of being in an Islamic State killing squad that murdered 17 hostages.
The
father of Nasser Muthana said the 20-year-old appeared to be among 16
jihadists who were filmed beheading Syrian soldiers in the desert.
The
sickening video that was on YouTube for an hour yesterday morning also
shows the decapitated body of Peter Kassig, a 26-year-old American aid
worker.
Ahmed
Muthana said: ‘I cannot be certain but it looks like my son. He must
fear Allah now for killing people. How can he expect to face Allah if he
is killing human beings?’
Asked
if he would forgive his son if he returned home to Cardiff, the
57-year-old replied: ‘No, he must be mentally ill – either that or there
is something else not right.’
Analysts believe the murder video is an attempt by Islamic State to provoke the West into an all-out assault and ‘final battle’.
As Jihadi John, the British leader of the killing squad, warned David Cameron of slaughter on our streets:
The
former Chief of the General Staff said Britain may need to ‘think the
unthinkable’ and send ground troops to take on Islamic State forces;
Mr Cameron said the beheadings underlined the ‘deplorable depths’ the ‘depraved’ terrorists were prepared to go to;
The acts were described as ‘13th-century barbarism’ by former PM John Major;
Friends of Mr Kassig said he may have refused to make a propaganda statement before he was murdered;
Barack Obama described Mr Kassig’s murder as an ‘act of pure evil’.
The footage showed John and 15 other unmasked extremists brutally decapitating Syrian army hostages.
Speaking with his distinct British accent, John issued a blood curdling threat to slaughter people on the streets of Britain.
The
Foreign Office said yesterday it was investigating unconfirmed claims
that John had been recently wounded in an airstrike by the Americans.
It
is unclear when the horrific but slickly-produced film was shot but it
is markedly more graphic than previous videos and the final act of
beheading a long line of hostages is not blacked out. Mr Kassig, who
converted to Islam in captivity, becomes the fifth Western victim to be
beheaded.
The British
jihadists's father said while he cannot be sure, one of the men looks
like his son. Muthana appeared in an ISIS propaganda video earlier this
year (left) after leaving his hometown Cardiff (right)
Last
night, the former Chief of the General Staff, Lord Dannatt, said: ‘We
need to keep all options open if we are to defeat IS. Are we just going
to wish this away, or are we going to take action?’
The
Foreign Office confirmed they were ‘looking into’ claims that Muthana,
who left his family to train with extremists in Syria, was one of the
militants in the footage.
Muthana
was exposed as a terrorist in training after he appeared in a
recruitment video for the insurgent group in June, devastating the
family he left behind in Cardiff after it was circulated on the
internet.
A
prospective medical student, he was joined in Syria by his younger
brother Aseel, 17, who has spoken of his willingness to die fighting.
After arriving in the country, Muthana threatened to use his terror
‘skills’ when he returned to the UK.
Charlie
Winter, from the Qulliam Think Tank, said: ‘It looks like Nasser
Muthana is in the video. The video is far more graphic than other
videos. It is reflective of perhaps IS trying to be defiant in the face
of increased pressure.
‘Things aren’t going well for them at the moment and this is a message of defiance and provocation.’
In
the video, John branded the Obama administration as ‘liars’ for not
withdrawing from Iraq, adding: ‘The spark has been lit here in Iraq and
its heat will continue to intensify by Allah’s permission until it burns
the crusader army in Dabiq.
‘And here we are, burying the first crusader in Dabiq. Eagerly awaiting for the remainder of your armies to arrive.’
Analysts
said the change of video location to Dabiq – and not somewhere on the
outskirts of Raqqa as before – suggested that John and hostages were
being moved frequently to avoid coalition air strikes and to thwart
rescue attempts.
A friend of Mr Kassig said the lack of a statement suggested he had defied his captors.
Michael
Downey, a close friend from Beirut, said: ‘I think he refused. He was a
man of principle and wouldn’t give into intimidation from thugs. He
never took the easy route.’
More barbaric than ever, video that seeks to trigger an invasion
The
horrifying video of the mass murder of Syrian soldiers and an American
aid worker is very different from other Islamic State propaganda films.
Posted yesterday morning, it shows how the jihadists are seeking to heighten the disgust they provoke.
Security
and military analysts believe this new tactic is a plot to lure Western
and other forces into a full-scale ground offensive IS leaders think
they can win.
Unmasked: The 16 followers of Jihadi
John prepare to behead the Syrian soldiers they have held hostage.
Nasser Muthana from Cardiff isto the right of John, who is dressed in
black with a balaclava
The analysts reckon IS is already reeling from air attacks that have stopped it taking the key Syrian border town of Kobane.
The
murder of US aid worker Peter Kassig is not shown in the latest film –
thought to feature UK medical student Nasser Muthana– and he does not
deliver a final message as other hostages have.
There is also no announcement of the name of the next victim.
And
for the first time the Islamic militants give away their location –
showing what is believed to be Dabiq, a town in northern Syria – in the
video’s background.
PROPAGANDA MASQUERADING AS A HISTORY LESSON
Lasting
15 minutes and 53 seconds, the video – titled ‘Although the
disbelievers dislike it’ – starts with a documentary-style history of
Islamic State since the invasion of Iraq by western allies in 2003.
It
is in a different style from the rest of the footage, with more
sophisticated graphics, and a treatment often used for major ‘state of
the nation’ productions.
There
are scenes of bombings, summary executions and graphic video footage of
dead civilians lying in the streets. It also shows what appears to be a
dead child lying on a bed covered in blood.
Some
of the footage of the bombings has not been seen before, though other
scenes showing the summary killings of suspected Iraqi soldiers has. It
is designed to incite supporters and operatives back in the UK by
justifying their actions and setting the stage for the next clip.
Still covered up: Jihadi John has so far shown the world only his eyes
THE RETURN OF JIHADI JOHN WITH 16 FOLLOWERS
Filmed
in the desert, the self-declared murderer, known as Jihadi John, is
seen leading a line of Syrian troops to their deaths. A few paces behind
him – and in the middle of a 16-strong line of Islamist jihadists said
to be from over six countries – is the man believed to be Muthana, a
20-year-old from Cardiff.
Like the other jihadists he is unmasked. John however keeps to his habit of showing only his eyes.
Muthana clutches the scruff of the neck of a Syrian soldier, whose hands are bound with plastic ties.
But
while the other militants have expressionless faces – this young
bearded man looks menacingly into the distance. Taking the lead from
John and those in the line before him, he brandishes a military knife
taken from a box of weapons.
The chilling sound of a blade being drawn can be heard above the sound of Islamic music in the background.
The
prisoners are not wearing Guantanamo-style orange jumpsuits, as in
previous videos, but are dressed in black trousers and shirts.
John,
who has leather shoulder holsters for hand guns and a balaclava-style
mask, takes centre stage. His appearance would seem to confirm his
seniority and status as ‘chief executioner’ of Islamic State. The man
thought to be Muthana stands to his right. John delivers his message to
America and Britain before an eerie silence during which the camera
zooms in on the faces of the killers, who remain impassive throughout.
The
scene then focuses on John – who begins to cut his prisoner’s neck –
quelling suspicion that he himself did not actually perform the previous
beheadings. Unlike the apparent murders of Western hostages, in which
the camera cuts away at the moment their throats are cut, the killings
of the soldiers are shown in full.
The
camera zooms in on Jihadi John and his victim who, in his final
agonising moments, closes his eyes. John then looks threateningly into
the camera while still holding the knife. The next clip shows a knife
slicing into the necks of Syrian soldiers followed by a stream of blood
that turns the sand red.
The image after that shows the soldiers’ heads on top of their bent-over bodies.
The mass beheading is a new departure because previous mass executions have been undertaken using guns.
The
fact that John’s accomplices revealed their identities suggests they
have no intention of returning to their home countries. A caption refers
to them as ‘hungry lions whose drink is blood and play is carnage’.
SITE OF FINAL BATTLE WITH ‘CRUSADERS’
As
with the other clips, it is not clear when the final scene was actually
filmed – though it is claimed to have been shot in Dabiq in northern
Syria.
John’s
face is in shadow and it is hard to make out – but his mannerisms seem
to be the same as in other videos. He talks with his now-familiar London
accent.
An
image is shown of a man’s head lying on the ground next to a man
wearing desert boots – before the camera jumps to Jihadi John.
The video does not show Mr Kassig's beheading and he does not give a statement before his death
While his death has not been verified, John says: ‘This is Peter Edward Kassig, a US citizen of your country.
‘Peter,
who fought against the Muslims in Iraq while serving as a soldier under
the American army, doesn’t have much to say. His previous cellmates
have already spoken on his behalf.’
Mr
Kassig’s beheading is not shown – nor does he give a statement spurting
IS propaganda. He may have refused to do so – or it may mark a change
in tactics by the militants.
A dateline on the video says it was shot in Dabiq, near Aleppo, a place cherished by Islamic State militants.
According
to one reading of Islamic tradition, there will be a final battle there
between good and evil – in this case Muslim and Christian armies.
The ‘Western Crusaders’ will eventually be destroyed, according to the reading.
Analysts
said the change of location may also suggest that John and the hostages
were being moved more frequently than normal to avoid coalition air
strikes and to thwart rescue attempts.
WHAT ABOUT THE BRITON JOHN CANTLIE?
Unlike previous Islamic State beheading videos of Western hostages, there was no reference to further deaths.
In
the earlier films John had warned of the next hostage to die, showing a
clip of them on their knees and wearing an orange jumpsuit.
The British hostage John Cantlie is
currently being held by Islamic State and has appeared in propaganda
videos for the terror group
He
has used the prospect of another Western death as a warning to the US
and Britain against using military force in Iraq and Syria.
John
Cantlie, the British journalist currently being held by the Islamic
State, has featured in several propaganda videos but is yet to be named
by his captors as the next to be killed.
No comments:
Post a Comment