A former British rapper who was once believed to be the ISIS "Jihadi" John has been found dead in his prison cell in Spain while awaiting the verdict. Abdel-Majed Abdel Bary, 32, recently stood trial in a Madrid court where he faced accusations of leading a nomadic jihadist cell he allegedly formed after departing Syria.
Bary was awaiting the court's verdict at the time of his death. His body was discovered by guards at El Puerto de Santa Maria in Cadiz, southwest Spain, on Wednesday morning. An unverified local report mentioned that there were no apparent signs of violence on his body.
Died at the Wrong Time
According to reports, there will be an internal investigation conducted by the Spanish Prison Service. His family will be granted the opportunity to conduct their own autopsy in addition to the official post-mortem, aiming to determine the precise cause of death.
Moreover, a separate investigation will be carried out by a court in El Puerto de Santa Maria to look into the circumstances surrounding his sudden death.
Barry, along with two men described as his aides, was arrested less than a week after being smuggled onto a beach on Spain's southeast coastline in April 2020.
Abdel Bary, born in Egypt but educated in London, had his British citizenship revoked following allegations of joining ISIS. A long-running investigation led to the charges brought against him after his arrest at a rented flat in Almeria.
Investigating judge Maria Tardon stated in her written ruling, outlining her decision to charge Abdel Bary, that he had been brought into Spain by boat along with two Algerian men, less than a week before he was tracked and arrested by police.
Abdel Bary was warned before his trial at Madrid's Audiencia Nacional court that he could potentially face nine years in prison if found guilty
During the trial's opening day, he denied all terrorism charges and refuted ever being in Raqqa, Syria, claiming his presence in the country was solely for humanitarian purposes.
According to prosecutors' pre-trial indictment, the former British national, son of Adel Abdel Bari who confessed to committing multiple Islamist bombings in Africa resulting in over 200 deaths, allegedly used Bitcoin to purchase stolen or cloned bank cards from the Dark Web.
War Against Humanity
His alleged accomplices, Abderrazak Seddiki, 30, and Kossaila Chollouah, 27, were accused in a pre-trial indictment of playing key roles in the credit card fraud scheme, including carding – a type of credit card scam involving the theft or fraudulent use of credit card details to purchase prepaid gift cards.
He was accused of posting a disturbing image on Twitter, showing him holding a severed head. The alleged photo was taken in Raqqa, Syria, with the caption "Chillin' with my homie or what's left of him" dating back to August 2014.
Despite visibly gaining weight since his arrest, the alleged terrorist denied being the person in the photo with the severed head during his trial.
Abdel Bary vehemently claimed in court that he and his family had lived in the UK for over 30 years and had fully embraced a Western lifestyle. He expressed strong disapproval of Al Qaeda and radical extremists, stating: "Al Qaeda and all the radical extremists... I hate them. I don't agree with their ideology or actions."
When arrested in Almeria in April 2020, he claimed to be a Syrian national named Ahmed Mohamed Al Oulabi. Police recognized him by his ears when he opened a door to receive a kebab delivery from Uber Eats, leading to his arrest.
Abdel Bary was considered a key suspect in the search for "Jihadi John," the man captured on video threatening journalist James Foley with a knife before beheading him, as per the reports.
The executioner was later identified as Mohammed Emwazi, a Londoner, in February 2015.
Abdel Bary moved to London from Egypt with his family at the age of six after his father's release from prison, and they sought political asylum.
Before radicalizing and leaving Britain, he gained recognition as a rapper, and some of his music was even played on Radio 1.
He has been associated with a group of four Islamic terrorists known as 'The Beatles' due to their British accents, who were responsible for guarding, torturing, and beheading foreign hostages in Syria.
