British man who fought Islamic State ‘died from blast injuries’
A BRITISH man who travelled to Syria to join the fight against the so-called Islamic State died from blast injuries, an inquest has heard.
Luke Rutter, 22, from the Wirral in Merseyside, died in the city of Raqqa on July 5 after joining the Kurdistan People’s Protection Units (YPG).
An inquest into his death, held at the Gerard Majella Courthouse in Liverpool yesterday, heard he had travelled to the country without the knowledge of the UK authorities and was “more likely than not” to have been killed by IS, also known as Daesh.
The brief hearing, which lasted less than ten minutes, was attended by Mr Rutter’s parents along with other relatives.
Coroner’s officer Pamela Robbins said a post-mortem examination showed the cause of his death was blast injuries.
In a video message released after his death, Mr Rutter had apologised for lying to his loved ones about going to fight.
He said: “I lied to people I care about to come here. I said that I was going somewhere else, I didn’t. I apologise massively for that. Apart from that I don’t regret my decision and I hope that you respect it.”
Coroner Andre Rebello recorded a narrative conclusion into the 22-year-old’s death.
He said: “He travelled to Syria unbeknown to UK authorities and volunteered to fight with the YPG, a Kurdish people’s protection unit, against Daesh, a recognised terrorist group.
“It is more likely that not he was killed by Daesh terrorists in this conflict.”
Mr Rebello expressed his condolences to the family, and said: “For a child to die in these circumstances must be particularly hard.”
Mr Rutter, also known as Soro Zinar, is believed to have joined the fighting in Syria in March.
Other Britons killed in the fight against the militants include former Royal Marine Konstandinos Erik Scurfield, 25, from Barnsley in South Yorkshire, who died in the northern village of Tel Khuzela in March 2015.