May 31, 2014 -- Updated 0809 GMT (1609 HKT)
A radical Islamist fighter who carried out a recent suicide bombing in
Syria was a man who grew up in Florida, U.S. authorities say. The
bomber's real name has not been disclosed as investigators interview
family members. FULL STORY
U.S.: Jihadi featured in suicide bombing video in Syria grew up in Florida
May 31, 2014 -- Updated 0141 GMT (0941 HKT)
Militants: Suicide bomber was American
STORY HIGHLIGHTS
- NEW: Officials: U.S. focusing on network funneling money, recruits to Syria
- Radical Islamists heap praise upon the American for his "martyrdom"
- Official: The U.S. believes the suicide bomber is Moner Mohammad Abu-Salha
- U.S. officials said he was an American citizen who went to school in Florida
What made this suicide
bombing stand out was not that it happened -- as such attacks have
become fairly commonplace in war-torn Syria -- but the identity of one
of the men who carried out.
He was American.
In an online video and
social media, radical Islamists claiming responsibility for the blast
touted one of the attackers as Abu Hurayra Al-Amriki, an American.
Late Thursday, two U.S. officials confirmed their boast.
The man was a U.S. citizen who grew up in Florida and went to school there. Investigators are interviewing family members.
U.S. State Department spokeswoman Jen Psaki said Friday evening the American is believed to be Moner Mohammad Abu-Salha.
Whichever name one uses
-- Abu-Salha or Al-Amriki -- he was among a group of Americans whom
intelligence agents have been trying to keep tabs on since they went to
Syria some months ago to join extremists in the fight against the Syrian
government.
Smiling, holding a cat
Abu Farouk al Shamy, a
spokesman for the rebel Suqour al-Sham battalion, told CNN that the
Sunday attack was executed in coordination with the al-Nusra Front, an
al Qaeda-linked organization that the U.S. government has blacklisted as
a foreign terror organization.
One video on YouTube,
with the title "the American martyrdom from al-Nusra Front," identifies
the suicide bomber as Abu Hurayra Al-Amriki. This video and several
other social media posts feature a picture of a bearded man with that
name, smiling and holding a cat.
Al-Amriki in Arabic
means "the American." The name Abu Hurayra, which is popular among Sunni
Muslims, offers little clue as to the man's identity. Abu Hurayra was a
companion of the Islamic prophet Mohammed and the narrator of Hadith.
Syrian activists say the
video is from Sunday and shows militants' preparations and ultimate
attack on Syrian military checkpoints in Jabal Al-Arba'een, near the
city of Ariha in Idlib province and believed to be along a key rebel
supply route.
According to Syrian
activists and social media postings, four vehicles laden with explosives
were part of the attack. One YouTube video says the American detonated
the biggest one, which contained 17 tons of explosives, including
artillery shells. It is not clear what exactly this man's involvement
was, including whether he was driving an armored truck, a tanker or some
other vehicle.
Islamists praise the American
Even if he clearly did
not act alone, it is the man identified as Abu Hurayra who has gotten a
lot of attention on websites and social media venues tied to radical
Islamists.
That includes a tweet by
a man with the handle Abu Suleiman al-Muhajer, whose bio identifies him
as belonging to al Qaeda in the Levant, the umbrella organization for
the al-Nusra Front.
His tweet, which was
published on the radical Islamist website Hanein, features the alleged
American's picture and the words, "Abu Hurayra Al-Amriki performed a
martyrdom operation in Idlib, Jabal Al-Arba'een. May Allah accept him."
On the heels of this
suicide attack, counterterrorism officials are focusing on young
Americans who head off to wage war in the embattled Middle Eastern
nation, U.S. officials told CNN.
U.S. authorities are
investigating a network of recruiters who officials believe are
funneling money and young fighters to Syria, the officials said. Their
aim is to stop the flow of money and recruits to Syria.
U.S. intelligence and
law enforcement officials have expressed concerns about Americans
joining the fight in Syria, including with groups like the jihadist
al-Nusra Front. The worry is that they and other Westerners might pose a
threat when they return a home, or perhaps end up targeting Europe or
Western interests in the Middle East.
"There's going to be a
diaspora out of Syria," FBI Director James Comey said last week. "And we
are determined not to let lines be drawn from Syria today to a future
9/11."
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- COPY http://edition.cnn.com
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