British rapper ‘L Jinny’ suspect in Foley killing

A former British rapper who abandoned music to join the lines of ISIS is now being investigated by UK authorities following the execution of American journalist James Foley in Syria.

Abdel-Majed Abdel Bary reportedly left his home in London last year to fight in Syria.

He was originally known as L Jinny or Lyricist Jinn when his music career started, a report by the Independent said.

Some of his singles and videos were aired on BBC Radio in 2012, according to the newspaper.

The 24-year-old rapper came to national attention earlier this year when he tweeted a picture of himself “holding a severed head” in Syria, the newspaper said.

The horrific picture was accompanied with a message that said: “Chillin’ with my homie or what’s left of him.”

rapper

Bary’s background

According to the Independent, Bary’s father was an Egyptian refugee “thought to be one of Osama Bin Laden’s close lieutenants.”

The newspaper recalls Bary’s older music and outlines the changes in his tone and lyrics.

His early songs revolved around life, violence and made some apparent references to drug use.

Such references were altered later and replaced with rants against people who spend their money on drugs, drinking and clubbing instead of providing for their families, the newspaper said.

In his latest video, posted last March, Bary talks about his fears of deporting his family back to Egypt.

“Give me the pride and the honor like my father, I swear the day they came and took my dad, I could have killed a cop or two,” Bary raps.

“Imagine then I was only six, picture what I’d do now with a loaded stick. Like boom bang fine, I’m wishing you were dead, violate my brothers and I’m filling you with lead.”

Foley’s murder

Days after the world woke up to the shocking news of Foley’s beheading, suspicions grew over the identity of his executioner, who seemed to have a distinctly British accent.

British Prime Minister David Cameron condemned Foley’s killing and said that while the man has not been identified, "it looks increasingly likely that it is a British citizen," the CNN reported.

Many news reports have emerged since then, looking into the files of British Islamist fighters who flee to Syria to join the so called “Islamic State” militants.

Along with Bary, Abu Hussain Al-Britani, a computer hacker from Birmingham, and Abu Abdullah al-Britani, have been suspected to be behind Foley's murder.

The process of finding out the identity of Foley’s executioner seems to be a lengthy one, given the fact that about 400 to 500 British recruits – some estimate the number to be much higher-- are expected to be fighting in Syria and Iraq.

James Foley (File photo: Reuters)