Last week, Malaysia’s Most Wanted, Muhammad Wanndy Mohamed Jedi, a man the US has placed on the Specially Designated Global Terrorists (SDGT) list for his activities in Syria, posted a photo of a severed head to his Facebook account and deactivated said account shortly thereafter.
Wanndy has been called the Malaysian “leader” of the self-titled Islamic State. However, three days ago, reports surfaced that he was no more than a guard for his superiors. The claims were made by a local businessman whose daughter ran away to join the jihadi cause.
“His reputation on the Internet is much bigger than what he actually does in Syria,” the businessman was quoted as saying. That sounds a bit familiar, a keyboard warrior who pretends to be a warrior, but more bravado than brave.
However, a quick Facebook search of his nom de guerre Abu Hamzah Al-Fateh will lead you to the image of the severed head, including comments of support from his sympathisers. When posted, Wanndy called it “the most beautiful picture I ever had” and likened the Kurdish victim to “a dog.”
Perhaps he is just a guard, but a dangerous one. A man who has been accused by the SDGT of providing sources of financial support and operational assistance to the IS, as well as being involved in terrorist activities back home.
In fact, it has been reported that IS leaders are disappointed with Wanndy, claiming that his promises of bloodshed in Malaysia have come up empty. Malaysian fighters are beginning to revolt, missing the comforts of home as the IS loses more and more territory. He is desperately trying to convince 57 militants to stay, but not even cash offers will sway them.
Wanndy has been accused of encouraging the Movida bar attack last May 2016, where eight were injured watching a Euro cup match. Two men, Imam Wahyudin Karjono and Jonius Indie Jahali, were found guilty of bombing the venue. Shortly after the bombing, Wanndy was contacted by Oriental Daily and gave a short interview via Facebook Messenger, where he told the Chinese not to insult Islam and warned the IGP to not challenge IS’s capabilities.
According to reports, Wanndy has set up more than 100 WhatsApp groups in an attempt to brainwash new recruits, many of them impressionable students in Malaysia. When asked further, intelligence sources revealed that “about 80 per cent of those he has managed to influence were found to be addicts and introverts,” a worrying trend that the most vulnerable in our society were being preyed upon.
Now that we’ve got Raja Bomoh under control, maybe it’s time to focus on the bigger fish?
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