British-born jihadist Junaid Hussain, one of the most prominent Brits to join the Islamic State, is believed to have been recently killed in a U.S. drone strike.
Hussain, 21, also known as Abu Hussain al-Britani, had risen from a computer hacker for the Islamic State to an important figure in the
terrorist group's movement, according to The Guardian. The newspaper said he was high on the list of wanted terrorists for plots against the United States and Britain.
While the United States has not officially announced Hussain's death, a U.S. defense source told The Guardian they have a "high level of confidence" that Hussain has been killed.
"We are aware of reports that an ISIL terrorist of British nationality is believed to have been killed in a coalition air strike in Syria," a British government source told The Guardian.
"Hussain's activities made him a key target for the U.S. military, who included him at No. 3 on a Pentagon 'kill list' of
IS leaders," BBC News security correspondent Frank Gardner.
"He became one of the most important western recruits for IS, playing a key role in radicalizing and recruiting others to join the movement and plan attacks. Whitehall officials have said in the past that his actions caused them great concern and his death would be 'significant,'" Gardner continued.
The Sun reported that the Islamic State had plotted to explode a pressure cooker bomb to kill soldiers and bystanders during the Armed Forces Day parade in Merton, South West London, two months ago.
The group, though, unknowingly recruited an undercover Sun investigator to carry out the plot and he alerted police to foil the attempt. Hussain was the person who trained the undercover investigator in Syria.
"It will be big," Hussain allegedly told the undercover investigator about the planned Armed Forces parade attack, according to The Sun. "We will hit the kuffar [unbelievers] hard InshAllah. Hit their soldiers in their own land. InshAllah. Soldiers that served in Iraq and Afghanistan will be present. Jump in the crowd and detonate the bomb."
"They think they can kill Muslims in Iraq and Afghanistan then come back to the U.K. and be safe. We'll hit them hard InshAllah. By Allah you won't be wasted Akhi," Hussain reportedly continued in his encouragement to the undercover investigator.
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