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Deso Dogg, former rapper, named an Isis terrorist by US

Former German rapper Deso Dogg has joined Isis and is a wanted terrorist

Payton Guion
Thursday 12 February 2015 17:24 GMT
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(Getty Images)

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Denis Cuspert, who formerly rapped under the moniker Deso Dogg, has been declared an international terrorist by the US – which has blacklisted him – due to alleged association with Isis and other terrorist activity.

Mr Cuspert, who has taken the name Abu Talha al-Almani, joined Isis in 2012 and has appeared in videos associated with the group, according to the US State Department. In a recent video, Mr Cuspert appeared holding a severed head, belonging to a man said to have opposed Isis.

“(Mr Cuspert) appears to serve as an ISIL recruiter with special emphasis on recruiting German speakers to ISIL,” the State Department said in a statement, using another name for Isis.

“(Mr) Cuspert is emblematic of the type of foreign recruit ISIL seeks for its ranks – individuals who have engaged in criminal activity in their home countries who then travel to Iraq and Syria to commit far worse crimes against the people of those countries.”

The former rapper – see a music video below – has been on German radar for a while and his birth country has published an analysis of his radicalisation and is weighing whether or not to charge him with war crimes, NBC News reported.

Warning: The video below is in German, but likely contains explicit language.

“As a result of the (terrorist) designation, all property subject to U.S. jurisdiction in which (Mr) Cuspert has any interest is blocked and U.S. persons are prohibited from engaging in transactions with him or to his benefit,” the State Department wrote.

Follow Payton Guion on Twitter @PaytonGuion.

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