A man who helped the Islamic State by reporting recruitment videos has been sentenced to life in prison in the US.
Mohammed Khalifa, originally from Saudi Arabia, was described by the US Justice Department as a “leading figure” in the terrorist group’s English-language media unit.
Prosecutors said the unit produced videos such as those showing the beheadings of British aid workers and journalists, including Britons Alan Henning and David Haines and American journalists James Foley and Steven Sotloff.
The Justice Department said in a statement that Khalifa, who grew up in Toronto and left Canada in 2013, provided narration and translations for about 15 videos created and distributed by IS.
It continued: “Productions narrated by Khalifa include two of the most influential and particularly violent ISIS propaganda videos, Flames of War: Fighting Has Just Begun and Flames of War II: Until the Final Hour .
Fire fighting
“The videos feature beautiful portraits of ISIS and its fighters as well as scenes of violence, including depictions of unarmed prisoners being executed, scenes of ISIS attacks and combat, and describe ISIS attacks in the United States.”
Khalifa, 38, was captured by the US-backed Syrian Democratic Forces in January 2019, after a shootout in Syria where he threw a grenade.
The department said he was detained by the FBI last October and pleaded guilty in December to providing material or resource support to a foreign terrorist organization, resulting in his death.
