Abu Rumaysah
Born
Siddhartha Dhar

(1983-06-24) 24 June 1983[1]
Edmonton, London, England
Organization(s) ISIS
Al-Muhajiroun
Known forISIS militancy
Criminal statusDesignated as a global terrorist by the United States.[2]

Abu Rumaysah al-Britani (born 24 June 1983), born Siddhartha Dhar, is a British citizen who is an Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) militant. In January 2016, he was named as the narrator in a film issued by ISIL that showed the execution of suspected spies against the regime.[3][4] Abu Rumaysah has been designated as a global terrorist by the United States.[5]

Dhar was born in London to a Bengali-speaking Hindu family of Indian origin and changed his name to Abu Rumaysah after his conversion to Islam.[6][7] He is believed to be in his late 30s as of 2022.[8] He acted as a spokesperson for the Islamist group Al-Muhajiroun, an organisation banned in the UK, and worked as an aide to Al-Muhajiroun's co-founder, Anjem Choudary.[9] Dhar also owned a bouncy castle rental company.[8] He lived in Walthamstow. He used social media to promote his Islamist views and attended demonstrations in Britain against the United States, Israel, and Arab regimes. In a video he posted to YouTube, Dhar described ISIL's self declared caliphate as "...a dream for all Muslims worldwide ... We can finally have a sanctuary where we can practice our religion and live under the sharia. It is a big, big thing".[4]

He spoke of his desire for the United Kingdom to be governed under sharia law on the BBC's Sunday Morning Live programme, and said of himself that he didn't "...really identify myself with British values. I am Muslim first, second and last". In 2014, Dhar was under investigation by British authorities for allegedly encouraging terrorism, but subsequently disappeared after being released on bail. Although he had been banned from travelling, Dhar departed for Paris from Victoria Coach Station in London with his wife, Aisha, and their four children, and later arrived in Syria.[4]

Dhar wrote a travel guide to the Islamic State in May 2015, called A Brief Guide to Islamic State, and wrote of it that "If you thought London or New York was [sic] cosmopolitan, then wait until you step foot [sic] in the Islamic State because it screams diversity. ... In my short time here I have met people from absolutely every walk of life, proof that the caliphate's pulling power is strong and tenacious".[4]

He appeared in the Channel 4 documentary The Jihadis Next Door.[10][11]

References

  1. ↑ "Counter Terrorism Designations".
  2. ↑ "Indian-origin 'New Jihadi John': All you need to know". The Times of India. 24 January 2018.
  3. ↑ "Islamic State video suspect thought to be Briton Siddhartha Dhar". BBC News. 4 January 2016. Retrieved 4 January 2016.
  4. 1 2 3 4 Casciani, Dominic (4 January 2016). "Who is Siddhartha Dhar?". BBC News. Retrieved 4 January 2016.
  5. ↑ "Indian-Origin ISIS Man, Dubbed "New Jihadi John", Designated Global Terrorist By US". NDTV. 24 January 2018.
  6. ↑ Express News Service (14 November 2014). "Indian-origin jihadist flees UK for ISIS". Indian Express. Retrieved 19 May 2017.
  7. ↑ Roy, Amit (10 January 2016). "MI5 sounded Bengali boy: Report". The Telegraph. Archived from the original on 12 January 2016. Retrieved 19 May 2017.
  8. 1 2 Flaig, Joseph (4 January 2016). "Speculation that ISIS executioner 'could be Walthamstow jihadi', report claims". East London & West Essex Guardian. Retrieved 4 January 2016.
  9. ↑ "Mother feared to have taken children to Syria linked with high ranking ISIS man". East London & West Essex Guardian. 1 September 2015. Retrieved 4 January 2016.
  10. ↑ O'Donovan, Gerard (20 January 2016). "The Jihadis Next Door, Channel 4, review: 'shocking and crucial'". Daily Telegraph. Retrieved 25 March 2017.
  11. ↑ "The Jihadis Next Door". Archived from the original on 5 June 2017.
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