An Italian rapper once featured on a March 2012 MTV special titled “In the rhythm of Allah: the story of Mc Khalif” has been designated an Islamic State terrorist by the Obama administration.
Anas el-Abboubi was added Wednesday to the State Department’s list of Specially Designated Global Terrorists. Mr. El-Abboubi, who also goes by the stage name Mc Khalif, was taken into Italian custody in 2013 over fears he was planning a terror attack, but he fled to Syria upon his release two weeks later.
“Anas El Abboubi has been fighting in Syria for the Foreign Terrorist Organization and SDGT group the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) since September 2013,” the State Department announced Wednesday. “He is one of approximately 50 foreign terrorist fighters of Italian origins fighting in Syria. Abboubi began to radicalize in 2012 after being relatively well known on the Italian hip hop scene as rapper Mc Khalif.”
“In August 2012, he established the Italian branch of an extremist organization. In June 2013, Abboubi was arrested by the Brescia Police General Investigations and Special Operations Division and anti-terrorism forces for plotting a terrorist attack in Northern Italy and recruiting individuals for militant activity in Syria. He was released after two weeks in custody and fled to Syria shortly after.”
Mr. El-el-Abboubi was born in Morocco in 1992 and immigrated to Italy seven years later, CBS News reported Wednesday.
• Douglas Ernst can be reached at dernst@washingtontimes.com.
Please read our comment policy before commenting.