Abu Usama Al-Irlandi, an Irish jihadist better known as Khalid Kelly, died in a suicide bomb attack in Mosul, Iraq’s second-largest city.
The Irish Independent reports that ISIS twitter accounts are claiming that he died in the name of the Islamic State, but his death has not officially been confirmed.
Suicide attack 100 and a bit in the Battle for Mosul by the Irish Abū Usāma al-Īrlandī #Ireland pic.twitter.com/IRto9hjJ4u
— Pieter Van Ostaeyen (@p_vanostaeyen) November 4, 2016
Al-Jazirah, an ISIS outlet, and many known ISIS twitter accounts have posted a photo of Kelly in front of the VBIED (vehicle-borne improvised explosive device) he allegedly used to attack Iraqi state forces as they moved through the ISIS-held desert territory in the Niniveh Governorate.
Terence Edward Kelly, 49, was from Dublin. He trained as an intensive care nurse, and it is reported he has two sons and a daughter living in Ireland.
A former altar boy, Kelly converted to Islam after he was put in jail for making bootleg alcohol in Saudi Arabia in 2000. When he moved back to Europe, he became an outspoken supporter of Al Qaeda. In 2003, he appeared on the Late Late show alongside controversial British cleric Anjem Choudary. Their defense of 9/11 on the show greatly angered the Irish crowd
The Guardian reported that "Isis has become expert in welding steel plates to 'suicide vehicles,' from jeeps to bulldozers, to create improvised armor so they can drive towards enemy positions under fire. Kelly appears to have used one of those vehicles."
He was arrested as a security risk by Irish police ahead of US president Barack Obama’s visit in 2011.
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