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‘Next IS Malaysian chief’ killed in air strike: Report

KUALA LUMPUR — A senior Islamic State (IS) militant who had been singled out to be the next Malaysian chief in Syria has been killed in an airstrike, according to intelligence.

Known as Abu Qutaibah among his comrades, Muhammad Fudhail Omar (third from right) actively disseminating IS ideology and recruiting new militants via social media.

Known as Abu Qutaibah among his comrades, Muhammad Fudhail Omar (third from right) actively disseminating IS ideology and recruiting new militants via social media.

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KUALA LUMPUR — A senior Islamic State (IS) militant touted as the next Malaysian chief in Syria is believed to have been killed in an air strike.

Muhammad Fudhail Omar, 25, is said to have died last month in an air strike by the Syrian military in besieged Raqqa, which serves as the militant group’s de facto capital.

Known as Abu Qutaibah among his comrades, Fudhail was poised to step into the shoes left by Muhammad Wanndy Mohamed Jedi, the former chief for Malaysians fighting with the IS in Syria. Wanndy was killed in a drone attack in April. Besides Fudhail, three other senior Malaysians viewed as leadership candidates are Muhammad Rafi Udin, Wan Mohd Aquil Wan Zainal Abidin (or Akil Zainal) and Muhammad Zahar. The authorities believe that they are still in Raqqa.

Fudhail made his way to Syria on May 2, 2014, after being persuaded by former Parti Islam Se-Malaysia’s Kedah member Ustaz Mohd Lotfi Ariffin, who was among the first Malaysians to go to Syria a few months earlier.

Lotfi and his comrades had used Facebook to lure Malaysians to the battlefield and spread IS ideology.

“He (Fudhail) made his way to Syria in 2014 to join the Ajnad Al Sham group. Lotfi was then head of the group’s Malaysian outfit in Syria.

“After Lotfi was killed, he (Fudhail) was appointed as the leader among Malaysians in the group because he could speak Arabic,” sources told the New Straits Times.

The sources added: “Fudhail, with other Malaysians in the group, then joined the IS in late 2014, where he was given the task of teaching children of IS members Quran recitation and guarding of security posts.” 

He had also been actively disseminating IS ideology and recruiting new militants via social media.

Among those influenced by him was a 17-year-old youth from Sabah who was told to carry out a lone wolf attack and slaughter foreign tourists in Sandakan last year. The teenager, who also threatened to kill police chief Khalid Abu Bakar, was arrested before he could carry out the attacks.

Rafi Udin, who was among the first to reach Syria with Lotfi in February 2014, is now said to be the most senior Malaysian militant in Syria.

A source also said that, like Wanndy, Fudhail had swindled funds channelled by sympathisers to the terror group for his personal gain.

“Besides actively recruiting Malaysians to join IS in Syria, he also demanded funds from them, telling them that the money would be used to help fighters. He, however, used all the money ‘donated’ by sympathisers, totalling some RM20,000 (S$6,400), for his personal use,” the source added.

Fudhail is said to have wed an Indonesian single mother, whose husband died in battle. He had a son with her.

Malaysia has been on high alert since IS-linked gunmen launched attacks in Jakarta in January last year, and has arrested hundreds of people over the past few years for suspected links to militant groups.

To date, 34 Malaysians have been killed in Iraq and Syria since 2013. 

Currently, there are more than 50 Malaysian IS fighters left in Syria, and none of them have shown any sign of wanting to return to the country. NEW STRAITS TIMES

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