Washington: The US on Wednesday designated Indian-origin Islamic Statemilitant from Britain Siddhartha Dhar along with a Belgian-Moroccan citizenas global terrorists and imposed sanctions on them, the State Departmentsaid.
Dhar, a British Hindu who converted to Islam and now goes by the name AbuRumaysah, had skipped police bail in the UK to travel to Syria with hiswife and young children in 2014.
Nihad Barakat, a Yazidi teenager held as a sex slave by ISIS, was quoted assaying by the Independent in May 2016 that she was kidnapped and traffickedby Dhar, who was based in Mosul, the group’s former stronghold in Iraq.
Dhar was dubbed as the “New Jihadi John” and became a senior commander ofthe dreaded outfit, the report had said.
The State Department has designated two ISIS members, Siddhartha Dhar andAbdelatif Gaini, as Specially Designated Global Terrorists under Section1(b) of Executive Order which also imposes sanctions on foreign personsdetermined to have committed, or pose a significant risk of committing,acts of terrorism that threaten the security of US nationals or thenational security, foreign policy, or economy of the US, a state departmentspokesperson said in a statement.
These designations seek to deny Dhar and Gaini the resources they need toplan and carry out further terrorist attacks, it said.
Among other consequences, all of Dhar’s and Gaini’s property and interestsin property subject to US jurisdiction are blocked, and US persons aregenerally prohibited from engaging in any transactions with them, it said.
Dhar was a leading member of now-defunct terrorist organisationAl-Muhajiroun.
In late 2014, Dhar left the United Kingdom to travel to Syria to join ISIS,it said.
He is considered to have replaced ISIS executioner Mohammad Emwazi, alsoknown as “Jihadi John”, it said.
Dhar is believed to be the masked leader who appeared in a January 2016ISIS video of the execution of several prisoners ISIS accused of spying forthe UK, the statement said.
Gaini is a Belgian-Moroccan citizen believed to be fighting for ISIS in theMiddle East. Gaini is connected to UK-based ISIS sympathizers Mohamad AliAhmed and Humza Ali, who was convicted in the UK in 2016 of terrorismoffenses, it said.
Today’s action notifies the US public and the international community thatDhar and Gaini have committed or pose a significant risk of committing actsof terrorism, it said.
Terrorism designations expose and isolate organizations and individuals,and deny them access to the US financial system.
Moreover, designations can assist the law enforcement activities of USagencies and other governments, it said. – Agencies