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Abdel-Majed Abdel Bary

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Abdel-Majed Abdel Bary
عبد المجيد عبد الباري
Born(1991-06-16)16 June 1991[citation needed]
Maida Vale, London, England
Died26 July 2023(2023-07-26) (aged 32)
El Puerto de Santa María, Spain
NationalityBritish-Egyptian
Other names
  • Lyricist Jinn
  • L Jinny
  • Lyricist Jinn Matic
Occupation(s)Rapper and suspected Islamist militant
Years active2011–2013
Parent(s)Ragaa and Adel Abdel Bari

Abdel-Majed Abdel Bary (Arabic: عبد المجيد عبد الباري; 16 June 1991[citation needed] – 26 July 2023) was a British rapper and Islamic State militant.[1] He was the son of Adel Abdel Bari.

After circulation of video footage related to the decapitation of the American journalist James Foley, British intelligence reportedly centred on three suspects who might be the militant in the footage dubbed "Jihadi John", putting a knife to Foley's throat and later on boasting of having undertaken his beheading.

Abdel Bary attained considerable notoriety as he emerged as a prime suspect in the hunt for "Jihadi John",[2][3][4][5] but in February 2015, it was reported that the executioner was Londoner Mohammed Emwazi.[1]

During his ISIS activities, Bary posed with a severed head and declared war on the West.[6]

Father

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Abdel-Majed Abdel Bary is the son of Ragaa and Adel Abdel Bari. His father was arrested when Abdel-Majed Abdel Bary was six years old. His father was reportedly tortured in Egypt as a suspected radical Islamist. After release, he moved to the United Kingdom where he applied for political asylum with his wife and family.

After a very long process of investigation, with the possible return of Adel Abdel Bari to Egypt, he was extradited eventually by the British authorities to the United States in 2012 for involvement in the 1998 United States embassy bombings in Kenya and Tanzania and for having alleged links and a longtime association with Osama bin Laden and more prominently Ayman al-Zawahiri, former leader of al Qaeda.

On 6 February 2015, Adel Abdel Bari pleaded guilty and was sentenced to 25 years in prison – the plea bargain was described by the judge as generous.[7]

Early life and music career

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Abdel Bary grew up in a council house in Maida Vale in West London.[6]

Abdel Bary released a number of recordings online about his own life as a youth in London. In lyrics for earlier releases online going back to 2012, Bary made apparent references to drug use, violence and life on a council estate[6] and talked about the threat of his family being deported to Egypt due to his father's terrorist activity. He also appeared in SBTV Warmup Sessions as Lyricist Jinn presenting two live tracks that talked about his experiences. In later songs, however, references to cannabis use stopped in his lyrics to be replaced with more radical tirades against people who choose to spend their money clubbing, drinking and on drugs rather than feeding their families.[8] He was also part of a rap group known as "The Black Triangle".[9]

As a rapper, he was known as Lyricist Jinn and L Jinny.

Known tracks by him include "Overdose" (the only one uploaded, now removed, to his YouTube channel LJinnyVEVO), "Flying High", "Dreamer", "The Beginning", and "Dog Pound." Some of his recordings were reportedly played on BBC Radio 1.[citation needed] As late as 1 December 2013, music featuring L. Jinny was still being released including the track "My Words" featuring L Jinny on the album More True Talk by Logic & Last Resort.[9]

Radicalisation

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Abdel-Majed Abdel Bary was radicalized by Muslim groups connected to preacher Anjem Choudary in England.[10] On 1 July 2013, he reportedly announced that he was giving up his musical aspirations for Islam. "I have left everything for the sake of Allah", he said, walking out of his family's home, leaving behind his mother Ragaa and his five siblings.[11]

ISIS activities

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In 2013, Bary joined the jihadist opposition forces in Syria fighting the Syrian government of President Bashar al-Assad. In March 2014, he had a run-in with rival Free Syrian Army opposition forces, claiming in a tweet that he was kidnapped and tortured by them. He eventually joined the even more radical Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS/ISIL). In June 2014, The Sunday Times revealed a threat made by Bary on Twitter saying: "The lions are coming for you soon you filthy kuffs (infidels). Beheadings in your own backyard soon."

In early August 2014, he posted a photograph of himself holding a man's severed head[11][12] allegedly taken in Raqqa, Syria, the stronghold of ISIL and declared capital for the ISIL self-proclaimed Islamic State. The caption read: "Chillin' with my homie or what's left of him." The Sunday Times and Sunday People listed Bary as a member of a group of four British-born ISIL members that have guarded, tortured, and beheaded foreign hostages in Syria, a group they called "The Beatles" ("John", "George", "Paul", and "Ringo") because of their British accents.[citation needed]

He was suspected of being the "Jihadi John" appearing in the execution video of James Foley. However, a representative of Scotland Yard told Billboard magazine in August 2014 that the man in the video had not definitively been identified.[5][13] In February 2015, it was confirmed that "Jihadi John" is not Abdel Bary, but actually Mohammed Emwazi, a Kuwaiti-born man in his mid-20s who had left West London to join ISIS.[1]

In 2014, his family home in London was raided by the British police which provoked a strong reaction from him on social media. He wrote on his Twitter account: "They have nothing to do with this, they did not even know where I am. I haven't lived at home for years you pagans." Bary kept an online presence using the name Abu Klashnikov on Twitter, but his account was eventually suspended. Bary also claimed that he and Junaid Hussain were kidnapped, tortured and robbed by members of a rival Islamic terror group.[14]

In July 2015, it was reported that Bary was on the run in Turkey, after having left ISIS. He was believed to have disguised himself as a refugee and escaped during the ISIS retreat from Tal Abyad in June 2015.[14]

Arrest and death

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On 21 April 2020, he and two other collaborators (Abderrezak Siddiki and Kossaila Chollouah)[15] were arrested in Almería, Spain,[16] in an operation led by the Spanish police and the National Intelligence Centre (CNI), who were aware that they had arrived on Spanish soil illegally in a dinghy on 14 April.[17] Officers analyzed their social media and identified Siddiki ordered delivery food to Cádiz Street, where they arrested them.[18]

On 12 July 2023, he was put on trial in Soto del Real, Madrid on charges related to membership of ISIS as well as using online scams to raise funds for terrorist activities.[19][20] He denied all charges.[21]

On the morning of 26 July 2023, he was found dead in his cell at Puerto III in El Puerto de Santa María, where he had been imprisoned pending the verdict in his trial.[22][23] He was 32 and the body showed no signs of violence.[24] His cause of death is unconfirmed.[25][26]

References

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  1. ^ a b c "IS militant 'Jihadi John' named as Mohammed Emwazi from London". BBC News. 26 February 2015. Archived from the original on 26 February 2015. Retrieved 26 February 2015.
  2. ^ "London hip-hop artist Abdel-Majed Abdel Bary key suspect in hunt for killer of American journalist James Foley". news.com.au. Archived from the original on 28 January 2015. Retrieved 24 August 2014.
  3. ^ "British rapper, a hacker and jihadi propagandist possible identities of 'John the Beatle', suspected killer of US journalist James Foley". News.Au. Archived from the original on 24 August 2014. Retrieved 23 August 2014.
  4. ^ "London rapper Abdel-Majed Abdel Bary investigated as police hunt for 'Jihadi John'". Evening Standard. 23 August 2014. Archived from the original on 25 August 2014. Retrieved 24 August 2014.
  5. ^ a b "The Independent: 'Jihadi John': Identity of Isis militant who beheaded Steven Sotloff and James Foley remains a mystery". Independent.co.uk. 4 September 2014. Archived from the original on 11 August 2017. Retrieved 19 September 2017.
  6. ^ a b c Cross, Beren. "British jihadist 'deserts Isis in Syria and goes on the run in Turkey'". The Independent. Archived from the original on 14 January 2018. Retrieved 29 January 2018.
  7. ^ Weiser, Benjamin (7 February 2015). "Egyptian Gets 25-Year Term in 1998 Embassy Bombings; Judge Calls Plea Deal Generous". NYTimes.com. Archived from the original on 10 February 2015. Retrieved 14 February 2015.
  8. ^ Zavadski (25 August 2014). "James Foley killer 'Jihadi John' believed to be former London rapper Abdel-Majed Abdel Bary". NY Mag. Archived from the original on 29 August 2014. Retrieved 30 August 2014.
  9. ^ a b Olivia Nuzzi (26 August 2014). "Meet Abdel-Majed Abdel Bary, aka L. Jinny, the Ali G of Evil". The Beat. Archived from the original on 29 August 2014. Retrieved 30 August 2014.
  10. ^ "British rapper a suspect in ISIS beheading". New York Post. 23 August 2014. Archived from the original on 29 July 2017. Retrieved 2 August 2017.
  11. ^ a b "British hip hop jihadist Abdel-Majed Abdel Bary poses in Syria with severed head". Huffington Post United Kingdom. 14 August 2014. Archived from the original on 17 August 2014. Retrieved 20 August 2014.
  12. ^ "British rapper turned Isis fighter posts image of himself holding severed head". the Independent, London. 14 August 2014. Archived from the original on 15 August 2014. Retrieved 30 August 2014.
  13. ^ "Former British rapper reportedly under investigation for James Foley beheading". 23 August 2014. Archived from the original on 28 August 2014. Retrieved 30 August 2014.
  14. ^ a b Verkaik, Robert (11 July 2015). "Notorious jihadi rapper on the run in Turkey". The Daily Telegraph. Archived from the original on 12 July 2015. Retrieved 12 July 2015.
  15. ^ Gálvez, J. J. (30 September 2021). "Ordenador, sauna y comida a domicilio: la vida de la presunta célula terrorista capturada en Almería". El País (in Spanish). Retrieved 2 August 2023.
  16. ^ Cárceles, Miguel; Mate, Alicia; Villalba, José Ramón (21 April 2020). "Abdel Bari: el «violento» terrorista que se fotografió con la cabeza de un periodista en 2014". Ideal (in Spanish). Vocento. Archived from the original on 10 January 2021. Retrieved 21 April 2020.
  17. ^ "Almería ataca al núcleo más duro de la yihad". Diario de Almería (in Spanish). Grupo Joly. 22 April 2020. Archived from the original on 23 April 2020. Retrieved 23 April 2020.
  18. ^ "Tres pedidos de kebab permitieron 'cazar' en Almería a uno de los yihadistas más buscados de Europa". Diario de Almería (in Spanish). 27 September 2021. Retrieved 2 August 2023.
  19. ^ "El rapero acusado de montar una célula del Estado Islámico en España niega los hechos". El Debate (in Spanish). 12 July 2023. Retrieved 2 August 2023.
  20. ^ Europa Press (12 July 2023). "Juzgan al rapero terrorista que llegó en patera a Almería". Ideal (in Spanish). Retrieved 2 August 2023.
  21. ^ "Former UK rapper Abdel-Majed Abdel Bary goes on trial in Madrid for joining IS". The Guardian. 12 July 2023. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 27 July 2023.
  22. ^ EFE (26 July 2023). "Hallan muerto en su celda al ex rapero Abdel Bary juzgado por terrorismo yihadista". El Mundo (in Spanish). Retrieved 27 July 2023.
  23. ^ Gálvez, J.J.; López-Fonseca, Óscar (26 July 2023). "Hallado muerto en su celda el exrapero británico juzgado por yihadismo este julio". El País (in Spanish). Retrieved 27 July 2023.
  24. ^ Brunat, David (27 July 2023). "Former British rapper Abdel Bary, accused of heading a terror cell, is found dead in Spanish prison". ABC News. Retrieved 2 August 2023.
  25. ^ Europa Press (26 July 2023). "Hallan muerto en su celda al rapero británico Abdel Bary, acusado de montar una célula de Estado Islámico en España". ABC (in Spanish). Retrieved 27 July 2023.
  26. ^ "UK rapper turned Islamic State fighter dies in Spanish jail". The Guardian. 27 July 2023. Retrieved 17 December 2023.
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