Jihadi Jack: I am not a fighter for Islamic State
But former student hits out at ‘dirty non-Muslims’ in the West
THE Briton known as Jihadi Jack after fleeing his middleclass family home for Syria has insisted he is not an Islamic State fighter.
Jack Letts, who has long been suspected of becoming the first white Briton to join the jihadist group, says he has not taken up arms with the extremists.
The 20-year-old Muslim convert from Oxford also accepted he would be viewed as a terrorist, and said he hated his parents, calling on them to convert to Islam.
The former student revealed he had survived an airstrike with just a ‘scratch’ amid repeated bombardments from Western military.
In a bizarre Channel 4 News interview, he said he had ‘no regrets’ about travelling to Syria because he went to ‘search for the truth’.
Asked if he was with Islamic State, Letts, now called Ibrahim or Abu Muhammed, said: ‘I agree with jihad and I agree with implementing the sharia and I agree with tawhid [monotheism] and stuff like this. But all the groups that... exist now that I know of have mistakes. The group that you mention, I can’t say they represent Islam.’
He also denied being worried for his life, adding: ‘Everyone is going to die on their day... A Muslim understands that his life is between the hands of Allah. So if they want to bomb me, they’ll bomb me.’ Letts, a Liverpool FC supporter, secretly travelled to the war-torn city of Raqqa when he was 18.
He fled after telling his parents he was going to Kuwait to study Arabic. But, two years later, Letts – who is known to have lived in the Iraqi city of Fallujah, until recently an IS stronghold – has insisted he is not a member.
Adding to the confusion, he said: ‘I’m not and nor do I agree with lot of what they follow.’
In an online statement in Arabic, he added: ‘I oppose so-called Islamic State, but that doesn’t mean I am with you, the dirty non-Muslims.’ The message criticising the fanatics, who routinely behead those who do not swear loyalty, could jeopardise his safety. He wrote that they should be remembered as his final words if killed.
His parents, organic farmer John Letts and his wife Sally Lane, have been accused of terrorism offences after allegedly wiring their son £1,700 – charges they deny.
The couple were originally remanded in custody for five days last month over fears they would send more cash to Letts but were later released on appeal. They are due to stand trial in January.
The pair claimed their son, who police have been investigating since 2015, had a history of mental health problems and insist any money was for food and spectacles. But Letts said he ‘hated’ his parents and called on them to convert to Islam. In his statement, he said: ‘They reject the religion of truth, so I reject them. I hate the Kuffaar [non-Muslims], and am free from them. Die in your rage.’
Asked if he is a terrorist, he said: ‘Do you mean by the English government’s definition that anyone that opposes a non-Islamic system and man-made laws? Then, of course, by that definition, I suppose they’d say I’m a terrorist.’ Questioned about whether he is a fighter, he said: ‘Currently I’m not. But they’ll say what they want.’
Letts said he had no plans to return to the UK, adding: ‘I don’t think I’d be very welcome.’
But he admitted to missing treats from home such as kebabs and Krispy Kreme doughnuts. Letts also insists he does not suffer from mental health issues and has not been brainwashed or radicalised.
A Foreign Office spokesman said it had advised against all travel to Syria, and with consular services suspended it was difficult to confirm the status of UK nationals.