A “baby-faced” former university student has become the latest British jihadist to be killed while fighting for Islamic State.
Raphael Hostey, 23, who rose through the ranks to senior commander, is believed to have died in action at the weekend. Hostey, from Manchester, was a keen recruiter and was famous among followers of the so-called caliphate.
He was prolific on social media and went by the name of Abu Qaqa but was apparently nicknamed “al-Britani Afro” because of his hairstyle. When the authorities clamped down on British youths travelling to Syria and Iraq Hostey encouraged them to travel to fight in Libya instead.
He wrote on Twitter last summer: “For those who are saddened by the temporary closing of Syria and Iraq, there’s still hope! Hijrah [travel] to Libya, Yemen and Sinai [in Egypt] are available, so for anyone who can’t really wait, these wilayat [Isis provinces] are open for you.”
Hostey was also accused of helping only pretty girls get to Syria.
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A graphic design student at Liverpool John Moores University, he left his wife and child behind when he travelled to the warzone in 2013. His death could not be verified but was reported on Twitter by Amarnath Amarasingam, a postdoctoral fellow at Dalhousie University in Halifax, Nova Scotia.