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US designates Indian-origin ISIS man as global terrorist: All you need to know about 'New Jihadi John'

The US on Tuesday designated an Indian-origin British man named Siddhartha Dhar as a global terrorist, saying he has replaced Mohammed Emwazi, popularly known as Jihadi John, as an executioner for ISIS. Dhar has been dubbed the "New Jihadi John."

Along with Dhar, Belgian-Moroccan citizen Abdelatif Gaini has also been designated as a global terrorist by the US State Department. This move allows the government to freeze assets and property and impose sanctions.


Here's everything we know about Dhar.

  • Dhar was born a Hindu, but converted to Islam and adopted the name Abu Rumaysah.
  • Dhar previously owned a bouncy castle rental company.
  • He has appeared in a documentary named The Jihadis Next Door.
  • In 2014, he skipped police bail in the UK to travel to Syria with his wife and young children
  • A May 2016  report in The Independent quoted Nihad Barakat, a teenager held as a sex slave by the ISIS, as saying she was kidnapped and trafficked by Dhar.
  • Dhar was a member of now-defunct terrorist organisation Al-Muhajiroun.
  • Dhar is believed to be the man behind the mask who appeared in a January 2016 ISIS video that showed the execution of several prisoners.
  • In May 2015, Dhar released a travel guide to the Islamic State titled A Brief Guide to Islamic State. He wrote: "If you thought London or New York was cosmopolitan then wait until you step foot in the Islamic State, because it screams diversity. In my short time here I have met people from absolutely every walk of life, proof that the caliphate's pulling power is strong and tenacious."

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