An Ethiopian man, who has lived in Canada since he was a child, is the English narrator for terrorist group Daesh (also known as ISIS). Since 2014, he has been narrating execution and propaganda videos for Daesh.
Mohammed Khalifa’s voice and his perfect use of the English language caught the attention of authorities.
“If he is a North American, this is quite extraordinary, because it would be the first time a North American [Daesh] fighter has committed a war crime on camera,” Paul Cruickshank, a terrorism analyst, said on CNN about Khalifa’s voice.
Khalifa is believed to be about 35-year-old and he is a citizen of Canada. He migrated to Canada from Saudi Arabia as a child. He apparently acquired his Canadian accent while living in the North American country where he schooled and worked. Mohammed studied technology and worked with several computer companies in Canada before joining ISIS.
Kurdish Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) arrested Mohammed Khalifa following an attack on a Daesh stronghold around the Euphrates river. He is currently in a prison in Northern Syria.
Mohammed Khalifa, who spoke with the New York Times, said he does not have any regrets concerning his actions. He reportedly described himself as a ”rank-and-file” employee of the Daesh Ministry of Media which is responsible for filming and publishing propaganda videos.
“I don’t regret it,” Khalifa told journalists. “I was asked the same thing by my interrogators, and I told them the same thing.”
Khalifa first moved to Syria in 2013 where he worked at a studio in Raqqa. He was first a translator and was later made a narrator. The Daesh Ministry of Media reportedly receive the gruesome execution videos from fighters in the field. They edit the footage and Khalifa records a voiceover in a state-of-the-art soundproof room.
Khalifa said he and his colleagues were forced to abandon their studio after air strikes began hitting Raqqa. They worked from house-to-house before he was forced to pick up a weapon and fight. He said that he surrendered to the SDF after running out of ammunition.
Khalifa says he did not commit any of the killings in the videos which did the voiceover for. He claims to have only added the English language voiceover. It is currently unclear what charges he will face.
