Jihadi Junior: ISIS Reportedly Uses 4-Year-Old Boy To Blow Up Spies
Jihadi Junior, who is identified as 4-year-old Isa Dare, was shown executing accused spies in a recent ISIS propaganda film. The entire video, which was published on Monday, is incredibly somber. However, the little boy’s appearance in the film and his role in the execution are specifically chilling.
The video begins with a close-up shot of the 4-year-old boy, who is dressed in military fatigues and a black ISIS headband. As the camera pans away from Jihadi Junior, he shouts and points to a white vehicle in the distance.
ISIS video shows four-year-old British boy dubbed ‘Jihadi Junior’ blowing up 4 prisoners https://t.co/bdUEAnqhA7 pic.twitter.com/WBc7VaKgac
— Daily Mail U.K. (@DailyMailUK) February 10, 2016
The camera then cuts to the vehicle, where three men are restrained inside. A teen boy walks around the vehicle, reaches in, and removes hoods from the hostages’ heads before joining Jihadi Junior and addressing the viewer.
According to the unidentified teen, the men inside the vehicle are British spies.
“… you sent your spies to Syria and… authorized for your men, thousands of miles away, to push a button to kill our brothers who lived in the West. So today, we’re going to kill your spies the same way they helped you kill our brothers.”
As seen in the film, which was provided by the Daily Mail, the camera cuts back to the inside of the vehicle, where one of the hostages is “confessing” his alleged crimes. The man in the front passenger seat said his message is directed “to the apostles who recruited [him].
“I request that they surrender to the Islamic State and repent… and return to the religion as they allied with disbelievers and left the religion… they deserve retribution if they do not return to the religion.. and they will have lost in this life and the next.”
The camera then cuts back to 4-year-old Jihadi Junior, who gives an “OK” sign with his left hand. The child is then shown with a remote control device in his hand. When he pushes the button, the white vehicle explodes, presumably with the hostages still inside.
ISIS video shows four-year-old British boy dubbed ‘Jihadi Junior’ blowing up 4 prisoners https://t.co/bdUEAnqhA7 pic.twitter.com/WBc7VaKgac
— Daily Mail U.K. (@DailyMailUK) February 10, 2016
The devastating explosion is replayed several times before the child appears next to the charred remains of the vehicle, cheering “Allahu Akbar” and waving his arm in the air.
Jihadi Junior is identified as 4-year-old Isa Dare. The young boy is believed to be the son of Grace “Khadija” Dare. Although she was a Christian who was raised in London, Grace converted to Islam and fled to Syria with her son in 2012.
The Independent reports Grace eventually married Abu Bakr, who is now presumed dead. In the last 12 months, her young son Isa has appeared in at least two ISIS propaganda films, which earned him the nickname “Jihadi Junior.”
It may seem unconscionable to use a 4-year-old boy to execute hostages. However, ISIS is notorious for training child soldiers.
In an interview with NBC News, an Iraqi security official, who wishes to remain anonymous, discussed how the terrorist organization recruits and trains children.
“They teach them how to use AK-47s. They use dolls to teach them how to behead people, then they make them watch a beheading, and sometimes they force them to carry the heads in order to cast the fear away from their hearts.”
The children are also exposed to “the sounds of explosions… machine guns… missiles… artillery… aircraft” and the sight of blood. The “sports,” as they are called, are designed to desensitize the children so they will be more effective in a combat situation.
According to reports, ISIS often uses their child soldiers “as human shields and suicide bombers.” However, they seem to have taken a particular interest in 4-year-old Jihadi Junior, who has already participated in the execution of three men.
Grace “Khadija” Dare’s father, Sunday Dare, said his daughter was either brainwashed or possessed and his grandson is being used. The Daily Mail reports the 59-year-old man was stunned to see his grandson is the boy everyone is calling Jihadi Junior.
[Image via Vladimir Melnik / Shutterstock.com]
