US designates Indian-origin Islamic State terrorist as global terrorist
January 24, 2018 09:20
The United States on Tuesday designated Indian-origin Islamic State terrorist from Britain Siddhartha Dhar along with a Belgian-Moroccan citizen as global terrorists and imposed sanctions on them, the State Department said.
Dhar, a British Hindu who converted to Islam and now goes by the name Abu Rumaysah, had skipped police bail in the UK to travel to Syria with his wife and young children in 2014.
Nihad Barakat, a Yazidi teenager held as a sex slave by Islamic States, was quoted as saying by the Independent in May 2016 that she was kidnapped and trafficked by Dhar, who was based in Mosul, the group's former stronghold in Iraq.
Dhar was dubbed as the "New Jihadi John" and became a senior commander of the dreaded outfit, the report had said.
The State Department has designated two Islamic State members, Siddhartha Dhar and Abdelatif Gaini, as Specially Designated Global Terrorists under Section 1(b) of Executive Order which also imposes sanctions on foreign persons determined to have committed, or pose a significant risk of committing, acts of terrorism that threaten the security of US nationals or the national security, foreign policy, or economy of the US, a state department spokesperson said in a statement.
These designations seek to deny Dhar and Gaini the resources they need to plan and carry out further terrorist attacks, it said.
Among other consequences, all of Dhar's and Gaini's property and interests in property subject to US jurisdiction are blocked, and US persons are generally prohibited from engaging in any transactions with them, it said.
Dhar was a leading member of now-defunct terrorist organisation Al-Muhajiroun. In late 2014, Dhar left the United Kingdom to travel to Syria to join Islamic State, it said.
He is considered to have replaced ISIS executioner Mohammad Emwazi, also known as "Jihadi John", it said. -- PTI
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