RAQQA, Syria, Aug. 27 (UPI) — A British citizen believed to be the one of the Islamic State’s top online recruiter and hackers was killed by a U.S. drone strike on Tuesday near the city of Raqqa, Syria.
Junaid Hussain, who later became known as Abu Hussain al-Britani, was a key figure in the Islamic State’s “Cyber Caliphate.” He was convicted in 2012 at the age of 17 of hacking the email of a former aide to former British Prime Minister Tony Blair and for publishing Blair’s personal details online.
Hussain, 21, left England in 2013 shortly after his release from prison and traveled to Syria. He was born in Birmingham.
U.S. and U.K. citizens who turn to militancy are rarely killed in drone strikes, but officials from respective countries met several months ago and decided Hussain should be hunted down before he was killed in Tuesday’s targeted drone strike.
Hussain was part of the Team Poison hacker group while in the U.K., which conducted significant breaches, including a hack into the Scotland Yard telephone system.
The group posted to YouTube a phone conversation between U.K. and U.S. investigators who were discussing the need to fight hackers.
Hussain is believed to have played a role in the Islamic State’s hack of U.S. Central Command’s Twitter and YouTube accounts in January.
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