US Suicide Bomber in Syria

Local Editor

An American militant fighting in Syria along with the so-called al-Nusra Front conducted a suicide bombing last Sunday in Idlib, US officials said.

The man called by the nom de guerre Abu Hurayra al-Amriki, who grew up in Florida and went to school there, is believed to be the first US citizen to be involved in a suicide attack in Syria.

Militants' social media sites stated that the American man carried out the suicide truck bombing in the northern province of Idlib.

They also circulated a video that was said to record the attack. It first showed militants loading what appear to be tank shells into a large vehicle that had been armored with metal plates. In the video, there is a large explosion after the vehicle drives down a road.

US intelligence officials and law enforcement officials have expressed concerns about Americans joining the terrorists in Syria, stating that more than 70 Americans have so far traveled to Syria, mainly to fight with militants.

The terrorist groups in Syria has become a magnet for Western extremists and the worry is that they and other Westerners might pose a threat when they return a home.

Other American citizens or residents have been detained before they arrived in Syria. Basit Javed Sheikh, 29, of Cary, N.C., was arrested in November 2013 for trying to provide material support to so-called al-Nusra Front as he was trying to board a series of flights to join the group, American authorities said.

Source: News Agencies, Edited by website team