Do You Recognize This Man? Asks FBI
The U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) is asking for the public’s help identifying individuals who have traveled—or are planning to travel—overseas to engage in combat alongside terrorist organizations.
“We need the public’s assistance in identifying U.S. persons going to fight overseas with terrorist groups or who are returning home from fighting overseas,” said Michael Steinbach, assistant director of the FBI’s Counterterrorism Division.
The FBI is also seeking information about the identity of an English-speaking individual and others seen in a propaganda video released last month by the group calling itself the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant, or ISIL.
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In the video, a man whose face is obscured by a mask alternates seamlessly between English and Arabic in pro-ISIL pronouncements intended to appeal to a Western audience.
Dressed in desert camouflage and wearing a shoulder holster, the masked man can be seen standing in front of purported prisoners as they dig their own graves and then later presiding over their executions.
The 55-minute video was released last month. In releasing a segment from the video, the FBI hopes someone might recognize the man through his voice and appearance. In the segment, the faces of purported prisoners are obscured and their executions are not shown.
The subject in the video has what is believed to be a North American accent. FBI Director James Comey has said about a dozen Americans are known to be fighting in Syria on the side of terrorists.
According to FBI, the ISIL has released several videos in recent months showing the beheadings of American, French, and English journalists and aid workers.
The speaker—and executioner—in those videos has a British accent and authorities have said they now know his identity.
The propaganda video highlighted now features a fluent English speaker and appears to be a highly stylized recruitment tool designed to lure Westerners to ISIL’s cause, according to FBI.
Meanwhile, FBI has created an online form inviting potential tips and leads about the U.S. citizens traveling overseas to join terrorist groups.
Information Courtesy: FBI
