(Image source from: New jihadi john is Indian origin Siddhartha Dhar })

Siddhartha Dhar, also known as Abu Rumaysah, is dubbed the 'new Jihadi John.' He skipped bail and fled the U.K. in 2014. “New Jihadi John”, who has appeared in the latest Islamic State (IS) video threatening with attacks on the United Kingdom is believed to be Indian-origin British Muslim convert. Abu Rumaysah, fled Britain in 2014 along with his wife and four children to join the IS in Syria. Born a Hindu, the 32-year-old ran a business renting out bouncy castles in London before converting to Islam.

Dhar’s mother and sister watched the video, released by IS, and noticed the similarities between the voice of the masked terrorist, being referred to as the “new Jihadi John” by the British media.

“I heard the voice, yes, but I don’t know, I’m not sure of the voice. These are the most difficult questions to answer. I just cannot say. I’m not sure within myself whether it is the truth or not,” his mother Sobita Dhar said.

His sister, Konika Dhar, from north London, said: “I believed the audio to resemble, from what I remember, the voice of my brother, but having viewed the short clip in detail, I wasn’t entirely convinced, which put me at ease. I can’t believe it. This is just so shocking for me. I don’t know what the authorities are doing to confirm the identity, but I need to know if it is.”

She said that her brother had converted to Islam more than 10 years ago and her memories of him are from the period when they were children and teenagers. “He was a very pleasant boy and I know it may be hard to believe, but he still is and I still believe that he still can be that person,” she added.

His former neighbours from Walthamstow in east London said that Dhar’s wife was more devout than him and suggest that she might have put him on the path to extremism.

By Premji