Bengaluru executive operated Islamic State’s propagandist Twitter account: report

Mumbai: Britain’s Channel 4 News has revealed that the notorious Twitter account @ShamiWitness which has been one of the most vocal supporters of the Islamic State and its war in Syria, was operated by a Bengaluru based executive, working in an Indian conglomerate.

The investigation carried out by the news channel in Bengaluru, identified the man as ‘Mehdi’.

After the investigation revealed the man behind the Islamic State’s Twitter account, the account was soon deleted.

The channel also reported that, the man lived a mundane lifestyle, with pictures of ‘pizza dinners with friends, and work parties’ dominating his Facebook page.

Despite his support for the Islamic State, Mehdi had not gone to fight with them. "If I had a chance to leave everything and join [the Islamic State] I might have," Mehdi told Channel 4, explaining that his "family needs me here." Channel 4, citing his concerns for his safety, did not reveal his full identity.

The Twitter account @ShamiWitness had been one of the most vocal voices online on the war in Syria. The handle had more than 20,000 followers, which included defence and war analysts from various foreign countries.

However, as the Islamic State began to grow in strength, they had found an ally in @ShamiWitness. The twitter account went out of its way to defend the Islamic State, and its actions, no matter how barbaric or inhumane it was.

The series of grotesque beheadings of journalists and other soldiers by the Islamic State shocked the world, yet, no word critiquing them came from the @ShamiWitness.

In November 2014, the @ShamiWitness tweeted that “May Allah guide, protect, strengthen and expand the Islamic State…Islamic State brought peace, autonomy, zero corruption, low crime rate”.

Channel 4 News also went on to elaborate, how the Twitter account would mock the deaths of Kurdish fighters, and express happiness.

The gruesome video of Peter Kassig’s beheading was tweeted 5 times by the Twitter account.

Mehdi also tweeted "you bros [brothers] talked the talk, walked the walk", after the death of Iftikhar Jaman, a British based Islamic State fighter, who was killed in an attack by security forces.

Mehdi used to tweet updates to the @ShamiWitness account using his mobile phone.

Although Mehdi’s extremist supporting lifestyle was restricted online, Mehdi’s identity is on the risk of spilling out in public.

Despite Channel 4's attempt to conceal his identity, Indian authorities have got in touch with British law-enforcement agencies to gather further details about Mehdi.

Indian authorities are also planning to talk to Twitter and gain information behind the person operating the @ShamiWitness account.