Unmasked: the man behind top Islamic State Twitter account

[Bosonic]

Source: Channel 4

The most influential pro-Islamic State Twitter account to be followed by foreign jihadis - Shami Witness - is shut down after a Channel 4 News investigation uncovers the identity of the man behind it.

...

Two thirds of all foreign fighters on Twitter followed him. When a fighter's Twitter account is suspended, he often promoted the new one and urged people to follow it.

He spoke to British jihadis regularly, before they leave to join the Islamic State, after they arrived, and if they died he praised them as martyrs.

He has until now been able to remain anonymous, avoiding questions about his motives and his central role in the Islamic State's propaganda war, but a Channel 4 News investigation can today reveal that the man operating the account is called Mehdi and he is an executive in Bangalore working for an Indian conglomerate.

Read more: http://www.channel4.com/news/unmasked-the-man-behind-top-islamic-state-twitter-account-shami-witness-mehdi

[msanthrope]

1. Name and shame needs to happen. nt

[Derek V]

2. I'm giggling like a schoolgirl now

Because we're in an era where neither statesmen, pols, captains of industry or even terrorists proclaim, or decree, or accuse, or even threaten.

They tweet.

[KeepItReal]

3. Coward hides behind "my family needs me here" rather than fight for ISIS

At what point does Twitter bear some responsibility for allowing ISIS/ISIL propaganda?

[cosmicone]

4. Reveal his full name damnit

He would not last long in Banglore or anywhere in India.

Unless of course he is smuggled to Pakistan for safety (like most terrorists in the world) by Pakistani ISI.

[Historic NY]

5. Reveal him, the f--king coward. revels in this let him be scared.

[Bosonic]

6. City police on the trail of @ShamiWitness

City police on the trail of @ShamiWitness

Bangalore City Police are on the trail of the handler of the anonymous pro-ISIS twitter account @ShamiWitness, identified as city-based Mehdi by British public-service television broadcaster Channel 4 News.

City Police Commissioner M.N. Reddi, told The Hindu that Central Crime Branch (CCB) was already on the job and refused to share further details.

The Channel 4 News, story says that his identity was revealed through a Google+ account, of an email id he used, to create a now defunct twitter account which he used before as @ShamiWitness.

The twitter handle @ShamiWitness active since last year, had 20,000 followers and nearly two million visitors a month. The twitter handle was seen as one of the chief disseminators of pro-ISIS propaganda on the web. The account handler was also suspected to be a recruiter of Jehadi fighters for the ongoing fight in Syria.

Channel 4 News, confronted the man in Bengaluru, whom they have only identified as Mehdi. Mehdi, in his telephonic interview to Channel 4 News, said, “If I had a chance to leave everything and join them I might have… My family needs me here.” He declined that he was a recruiter and said that there were real reasons for people to get ‘radicalised’ and that jehadi fighters followed him did not mean he was responsible for them.

http://m.thehindu.com/news/cities/bangalore/city-police-on-the-trail-of-shamiwitness/article6685785.ece/

[Bosonic]

7. Mehdi Masroor Biswas was confident his identity won't get revealed: Cops

Mehdi Masroor Biswas was confident his identity won't get revealed: Cops

BENGALURU: In a major breakthrough, the alleged handler of the most influential pro-Islamic State (IS) Twitter account was arrested from an apartment here in the early hours on Saturday.

Mehdi Masroor Biswas has "confessed" he was handling the pro-jihad tweeter "@ShamiWitness" and he was particularly close to English-speaking ISIS terrorists, Karnataka DGP L Pachau told reporters here.

An engineer working as "manufacturing executive" with a Bengaluru-based multinational company for an annual package of Rs 5.3 lakh, he became "a source of incitement and information" for the new ISIS recruits, Pachau said.

Biswas, hailing from West Bengal, had admitted to operating "@ShamiWitness" twitter account for the last many years, he said, announcing the breakthrough along with Bengaluru Police Commissioner M N Reddi.

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/Mehdi-Masroor-Biswas-was-confident-his-identity-wont-get-revealed-Cops/articleshow/45501643.cms

[Bosonic]

8. ISIS Twitter ideologue Mehdi Masroor Biswas arrested, confesses to abetting Islamic jihad

ISIS Twitter ideologue Mehdi Masroor Biswas arrested, confesses to abetting Islamic jihad

Bangalore: Bangalore Police today arrested Mehdi Masroor Biswas, hailing from West Bengal, who use to work as a manufacturing executive in the day time in a multi-national company, and used to be active on social media at night to propagate the activities of ISIS, the dreaded terrorist outfit which has occupied a large swathe of territory in Syria and Iraq.

Police claimed, Mehdi Masroor Biswas was arrested "on the basis of credible intelligence inputs received by Bangalore police".

Biswas' father is a retired employeed of West Bengal State Electricity Board, and his parents and two elder sisters live in West Bengal. Biswas used to earn an annual package of Rs 5.3 lakhs per annum in a multi-national company in Bangalore.

An engineer by qualification, he operated @ShamiWitness twitter account for the last several years, by taking a 60GB monthly internet connection. He used to read all breaking news websites related to ISIS/ISIL, police said.

http://www.indiatvnews.com/news/india/is-twitter-account-operator-arrested-45161.html

[Rhinodawg]

9. Charged with "abetting" ISIS ?

Really ?

How about the ones killing and beheading ?

[Historic NY]

10. Guess now his family is going to wonder what to do now...

he was arrested .