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‘Ginger Jihadi’ dead: reports

ABC

ABC

A Sydney teenager who starred in an Islamic State propaganda video is believed to have been killed in Syria.

Australian security agencies suspect Abdullah Elmir, a former Bankstown student known as the ‘Ginger Jihadi’ for his long red hair, died in the city of Raqqa eight to 10 weeks ago.

Elmir, 18, is believed to have perished in a bombing raid, News Corp reported.

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In June 2014, the teenager told his mother he was leaving for a fishing trip, but he was next spotted in a “chilling” IS video, declaring war on the West and making threats to then-Prime Minister Tony Abbott.

He was dressed in military gear, surrounded by other jihadists and was holding a rifle.

ginger jihadi

Elmir told his parents he was going on a fishing trip. Photo: ABC

Speaking under the name “Abu Khaled”, he spoke to “the people of America … the people of Britain … and especially the people of Australia”.

“I say this about your coalition: you threaten us with your countries, bring every nation that you wish to us, bring every nation that you want to come and fight us,” he said in the video.

“Whether it’s 50 nations or 50 thousand nations it means nothing to us.

“We will not put down our weapons until we reach your lands, until we take the head of every tyrant and until the black flag is flying high in every single land, until we put the black flag on top of Buckingham Palace, until we put the black flag on top of the White House.”

Elmir’s family found out he’d left Australia when he requested a friend tell them he had fled.

The message passed onto his family was to say he was “crossing the border”, which they reportedly interpreted to mean fighting in Syria or Iraq.

There is believed to be somewhere near 110 Australians fighting with Islamic State, Sky News reported.

Previous reports from July said Elmir had married British teenager Amira Abase while in the Middle East.

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