A British rapper now fighting with the Islamic State (aka ISIS) is reportedly a suspect in the beheading of American journalist James Foley, according to several unconfirmed published reports, including the Independent.
Abdel-Majed Abdel Bary, 24, a former West London rapper who performed under the name L Jinny, is allegedly one of three British jihadists identified as possibly being the masked murderer known as “John the Beatle,” according to the Daily Mail.
A former hostage held by ISIS said Bary is one of several jihadists nicknamed “The Beatles” because of their British accents. He has a similar accent, build and skin tone to “John,” the man who killed Foley, according to a report published in the Telegraph.
“We have not identified who the man in the video is at this time,” a representative from Scotland Yard told Billboard.
Bary was an aspiring rapper whose music was played on BBC Radio in 2012, according to the Independent. He left his home in Maida Vale, West London, to fight in Syria’s civil war, saying he was “leaving everything for the sake of Allah,” the Daily Mail reports.
Bary’s songs have been posted online, with titles like “Overdose,” “Flying High,” “Dreamer” and “The Beginning.” His music makes reference to violence, drug use and threats of his family being deported to Egypt. “I can’t differentiate the angels from the demons, my heart’s disintegrating. I ain’t got normal feelings,” he reportedly raps in one song.
Bary, one of six children, is the son of an Egyptian-born militant who is awaiting trial on charges tied to the deadly bombings of embassies in Kenya and Tanzania in 1998, according to the New York Post. Earlier this year, Bary reportedly tweeted a gruesome photo of himself holding a severed head under the name “Terrorist” (@ItsLJinny). The account has since been deactivated.
No other outlet has confirmed the news.