International

American suicide bomber in Syria?

Obama administration officials are trying to determine whether a U.S. citizen blew himself up in a suicide bombing in Syria on Sunday.

Officials, who declined to be identified, told Reuters they are reviewing social media activity that could prove the bomber’s identity. One official told Reuters some investigators already know the person’s true identity, but the source declined to elaborate.

{mosads}Posts on Twitter and a video posted on YouTube identified a bomber who calls himself “Abu Hurayra al-Amriki.”

The tweet shows him in a photo with three other suicide bombers and the video shows a truck being loaded with explosives and then a fortress-like structure on a hill being blown up.

“It is huq (right) on you to fight,” a man, whose face was blurred, said in a Canadian or American accent, Reuters noted.

Officials said U.S. agencies believe the postings are authentic.

If his identity is confirmed, he would be the first U.S. citizen known to have committed a suicide bombing in Syria.

According to Internet postings Reuters cited, al-Amriki carried out one of four suicide bombings last Sunday in northern Syria. He was believed to have collaborated with al Qaeda affiliate Jabhat al-Nusra.  

Tags Abu Hurayra al-Amriki Syria

Copyright 2023 Nexstar Media Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.