Stay up to date with notifications from The Independent

Notifications can be managed in browser preferences.

Jihadi John's recruiter reveals location by creating LinkedIn profile

Rabah Tahari, 46, boast of having trained fighters from more than 20 countries as part of his Al-Qaeda linked jihadist group in Syria

Chloe Farand
Sunday 14 February 2016 22:09 GMT
Comments
Jihadi John's recruiter Rabah Tahari is wanted by British and Turkish security after he disclosed his location on LinkedIn
Jihadi John's recruiter Rabah Tahari is wanted by British and Turkish security after he disclosed his location on LinkedIn (Rex)

Your support helps us to tell the story

From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.

At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.

The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.

Your support makes all the difference.

A jihadist thought to have helped recruit the British Isis executioner known as 'Jihadi John' has alerted security services as to his whereabouts after seemingly disclosing his location on a LinkedIn profile.

Rabah Tahari, 46, also known as Abu Musab, is the leader of a jihadist group linked to Al-Qaeda, which has attracted a number of foreign fighters to join its cause in Syria.

But British and Turkish security services are now concerned that Tahari has fled to Turkey after a LinkedIn page with his name was updated to show he was in Turkey.

They fear Tahari might have tried to return to Europe to carry out terrorists attacks.

"Rabah Tahari has fled to Turkey after falling out with other jihadists over money. He has a lot of enemies," a security source told the Telegraph.

The Independent saw Tahari's LinkedIn page shortly before it was deleted from the site.

The page only had two connections, one of which is the former British Guantanamo detainee Moazzam Begg, also from Birmingham, who was cleared two years ago of terrorism charges — including supporting Tahari in Syria.

Rabah Tahari's LinkedIn account revealed his location as Turkey
Rabah Tahari's LinkedIn account revealed his location as Turkey (LinkedIn)

Jihadi John, whose real name was Mohammed Emwazi, died in November last year after having been hit by a US drone in Al-Raqqah, Syria.

He is believed to have left London in 2012 to join Tahari in Syria, who was training foreign fighters, before pledging his loyalty to Isis and beheading British and American prisoners.

At the time, Tahari was leading an Islamist group called Kateeba al-Kawthar and boasted of having fighters from more than 20 different countries.

In 2014, Home Office minister for immigration James Brokenshire said in a debate in the House of Commons: "Kateeba al-Kawthar describes itself as a group of mujaheddin from more than 20 countries that seeks a just—as it perversely says—Islamic nation.

"It is an armed terrorist group fighting to establish an Islamic state in Syria. It is aligned to the most extreme groups operating in Syria, and it has links to al-Qaeda. Abu Musab, who is also known as Rabah Tahari, a western mujahed commander, is its leader.

"The group is believed to have attracted a number of western foreign fighters, and it has released YouTube footage that encourages travel to Syria and asks Muslims to support the fighters."

Join our commenting forum

Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies

Comments

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged inPlease refresh your browser to be logged in