Middle-east Arab News Opinion | Asharq Al-awsat

ISIS Recruiter Reaches out to British Model Using Facebook | ASHARQ AL-AWSAT English Archive 2005 -2017
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London-West Yorkshire’s anti-terror police announced on Sunday its fears of a former British model being led on for recruitment by the terror group ISIS. The model was being recruited through Facebook.

The Sunday Times has discovered that Kimberley Miners, 27, has been reached out to by the ultra-hardline group through social media, Facebook. A British ISIS member fighting in Syria appearing under the alias Abu Usamah al-Britani had been contacting her.

The recruiter has been grooming Miners to become a bride to one of the militants abroad and has been preparing for her departure from the United Kingdom.

Miners codenamed herself as Aisha Lauren al-Britaniya and has posted images of women brandishing rifles and other weapons.

A spokesman for the British Home Office told Asharq Al-Awsat newspaper in a phone interview that the matter concerning Miners touches very sensitive grounds, which is why MI5 and anti-terror police will maintain top discretion during investigations.

Miners who has posed topless previously, has been using Facebook to communicate with the recruiter urging women to leave the UK and join ISIS’ self-proclaimed “caliphate”. Miners had also posted several photos of her wearing the Niqab, showing nothing but her blue eyes.

Last week Abu Usamah shared Miners a photo of a kitten wearing a suicide belt, along with a caption about bombing “Kafirs”(Arabic for infidels). Miners liked the photo, and responded with a string of jokey emojis.

Asharq Al-Awsat newspaper was able to reach the social network pages of each of Miners and the ISIS recruiter and have a look at the material shared by the two.

Apparently, most of Usamah’s Facebook friends are western women who have adopted new aliases similar to Miners’ new name- which confirms all doubts of his role in trapping women into recruitment.

Miners had also joined extremist propaganda portals on the web, such as “ Alhaq” which is ran by ISIS supporters. Miners admitted being in direct contact over Facebook with Usamah.

Now her social media activity, which includes ‘liking’ and sharing Isis videos, are being investigated by MI5 and anti-terror police.