A British man dubbed ‘Jihadi Jack’ has dismissed reports that he has joined Islamic State (IS) and has accused the media of demonising young Britons who convert to Islam, The Independent reported.
Jack Letts, 20, who converted to Islam as a teenager and left his home in Oxford more than a year ago, was accused of being the first white British man to go to Syria to fight for IS.
“It’s sort of awkward when the media thinks you’re ISIS and you’re not. Thinks you have a son and you don’t. Thinks you’re married when you’re not,” he wrote in private Facebook messages, according to The Independent.
“Mabye they got bored worrying about what colour socks certain celebrities wear and took out the frustration on me?” he added.
Media reports claimed that the former Oxford schoolboy, who now calls himself Jack Ibrahim Letts, was living in Syria under the name Abu Mohammed, and that he was married to a woman from Fallujah, Iraq, and had a young son.
Mocking suggestions that he had joined the militant group, Letts accused the press of publishing lies about him because of his Islamic faith.
“The formula with the media is simple: English guy became Muslim + went to the Middle East + followed Islam = ISIS + eats babies x evil,” he wrote.
Making light of some of the newspaper reports, he added, “One of the funniest articles was the one were the last sentence was “Jack Letts and ISIS have been contacted for comment. Like me and ISIS have like a shared office in which we recieve requests for comment and were still thinking about whether to reply or not.”
Further, responding to claims that he has met Omar Hussain, the former supermarket worker from High Wycombe who left Britain to fight for IS in 2014, he said, “I just read that I met with some guy called umar in some article. First time I learn this amongst the other lies.”
He also hinted that others had obtained access to his Facebook account, and may have posted material that gave the false impression that he had been radicalised.
“It doesnt help, admittedly, that bare [lots of] different people have used my Facebook account (some of whom are extreme etc.. and only got my password through one guy I stupidly trusted).”
Letts’ parents also dismissed reports that their son had left to join IS as “absolutely ridiculous”, claiming that he had gone to Syria to do humanitarian work.
“He is not a member of ISIS, he is very probably not the first white convert that has gone out there. He does not have a son and is not known as Abu Mohammed,” Letts’ mother Sally told the Evening Standard.
Letts had told his parents that he was going to study Arabic in Kuwait when he left Britain in 2014.
“We spoke to him yesterday and he said he had never had a weapon in his life. He went out there for humanitarian purposes to help kids in Syrian refugee camps,” she added.
Letts had told his parents that he was going to study Arabic in Kuwait when he left Britain in 2014.
Letts was known to counter-terror police, who had searched the family home “repeatedly” since he left in 2014. “They have said there is no evidence he has done anything wrong,” she said.
