A Canadian, the alleged voice behind ISIS videos, could face life in prison – By Dustin Jones (NPR) / Oct 3 2021
The Federal Bureau of Investigation recently took custody of Mohammed Khalifa, a Saudi-born Canadian citizen whose role as a combatant and propaganda producer with the Islamic State allegedly resulted in death, according to a complaint made public on Saturday. If convicted, he could face life in prison.
The Syrian Democratic Forces, a Kurdish-led militia backed by the U.S., had captured him following a firefight with ISIS in January 2019.
Court documents filed in February accuse 38-year-old Khalifa of joining ISIS after traveling to Syria in 2013. He later served as an English-speaking narrator and translator for ISIS, according to the complaint and, up until his arrest in Syria nearly five years later, was a fighter for the terrorist organization. In emails obtained by the FBI, Khalifa allegedly told a close family member that he was in Syria to join the mujahideen to fight against the Syrian government.
Khalifa found inspiration in Anwar al-Awlaki, an American-born terrorist killed by an American drone strike in Yemen in 2011. Khalifa watched the Islamic State terrorize Syria in early 2013 and decided to join the fight sometime that summer, according to Justice Department documents. Khalifa told the FBI that he swore allegiance ISIS leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi and fought in Aleppo through the end of 2013.
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