Report: Slain IS 'Emir' Identified as Suspect Ahmed Taha
The Islamic State revealed the identity of its slain “emir”, revealing him to be Abou al-Hassan al-Filastini, who was killed in the clashes in the northeastern town of Arsal in August, reported al-Akhbar newspaper on Monday.
The daily added that the excerpt on his life, released by the group, indicates that he is also Ahmed Taha, a suspect wanted by the Lebanese judiciary for firing rockets towards Beirut's southern suburbs of Dahieh in 2013.
The excerpt said that Taha was a resident of the Bourj al-Barajneh Palestinian refugee camp in Dahiyeh.
He was formally a supporter of the Hamas Palestinian group, but he soon changed his views after being detained by Lebanese authorities on various charges.
“He soon rejected the Muslim Brotherhood mentality that was friendly with the Iranian heretics,” said the IS statement.
The group revealed that Taha was influenced by Islamist inmates during his detention period in Lebanon.
He was killed during the Arsal clashes after being severely wounded in the head in Lebanese army shelling.
Investigations said that Taha worked with Naim Abbas, a detained top official in the al-Qaida-linked Abdullah Azzam Brigades.
Taha had “embarked on his jihadist path by first being a member of the Brigades before joining the Islamic State,” said al-Akhbar.
The Arsal clashes erupted upon the arrest of a member of the al-Qaida-affiliated al-Nusra Front, Imad Jomaa.
Taha, under the name of al-Filastini, waged the battle, but was killed in the clashes, reported As Safir newspaper in August.
In June, Taha and another suspect were charged with belonging to a terrorist group and the death penalty was demanded against them.
M.T.
H.K.
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