Abul-Hasan al-Muhajir


Abul-Hasan al-Muhajir was the kunya used by the official spokesman of the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant from 5 December 2016 until 27 October 2019, when he was killed in a U.S. airstrike in northwest Syria. He was a Saudi national.

History

Abul-Hasan was the successor of Abu Mohammad al-Adnani, who was killed while visiting the Aleppo frontlines in Syria in August 2016. He was believed to have been a foreigner due to his kunya identifying him as "al-Muhajir" meaning "the emigrant". After his death, he was confirmed to be a Saudi national on 31 October.

Speeches

In an article published in The Atlantic, journalist Graeme Wood postulates that Abul-Hasan al-Muhajir is Texas-born John Georgelas, also known as Yahya Abu Hassan, though he later cast doubt on his theory, and al-Bahrumi was eventually killed in October 2017. Italian media has also speculated that al-Muhajir studied at the Black Swan Rock School of Music in Luserna San Giovanni.

Death

Muhajir and four others were killed on 27 October 2019 by a Central Intelligence Agency airstrike in Ayn al-Bayda, near Jarablus in northwest Syria, close to the border with Turkey. It came less than 24 hours after ISIS leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi blew himself up during a U.S. raid in Syria's Idlib Province. Muhajir was described as a senior ISIS leader and Baghdadi's "right-hand man."
On 29 October, U.S. President Donald Trump stated on social media that al-Baghdadi's "number one replacement" had been killed by American forces, adding: "Most likely would have taken the top spot - Now he is also Dead!" While Trump did not specify a name, a U.S. official later confirmed that Trump was referring to al-Muhajir. On 31 October, ISIS confirmed al-Muhajir and al-Baghdadi's deaths.