The ghastly video of five masked jihadi gunmen shooting 5 alleged spies caused a global outcry, especially in Britain as one of the main suspects was suspected to be 32-year-old Siddhartha Dhar, from Walthamstow, east London.
Many errors have emerged that had occurred while monitoring Dhar, also known as Abu Rumaysah, when he was granted bail for alleged terror offences in 2014. It is said that the Scotland Yard had written to Dhar, politely requesting him to hand over his passport weeks after he had escaped and travelled to Syria. They had failed to seize his documents, even though Dhar had declared that he wanted to join Islamic State.
What seems to be even more astonishing is that British intelligence officers had tried to contact Dhar to recruit the former bouncy castle salesman, prior to his arrest for alleged terror offences. MI5 officials had warned him that he was very likely to either be in jail or dead if he did not comply to becoming a double agent for them, gathering intelligence against terrorist suspects.
Dhar, however, was arrested soon after and escaped to Syria with his wife and kids, while being on bail. He had been arrested six times on suspicion of terror-related offences prior to his escape.
His escape has led to many questions being raised to the authorities on how one managed to escape security and travelled his way to Syria via Paris. Dhar had taunted the British authorities once he arrived in Syria. He posted images of himself on Twitter, where he was seen holding an AK-47 in one arm, and holding his baby son on the other.
In a message to his sister last year, Dhar had supposedly declared, “I'm prepared for death”. His sister, Konika Dhar, remembers her brother as someone who was very patient. She is unable to adjust to the man he has become after leaving his Hindu upbringing and converting to Islam.
Konika Dhar said, “I told him from the very beginning when he arrived in Syria and made contact that I would love for him to return home and live in our house with his family. But he said he can't return because he believed that he would be arrested.”
Despite the allegations and the atrocities that has recently been associated with Dhar, his sister Konika still holds onto the last thread of hope. She said, “I believe my brother is unwell; he needs help and needs intensive care. I think it will be harder for him to make rational decisions based on his current state of health. He has been completely brainwashed... I'm very disappointed in the person he has become, but I still love him because he is my brother... I would rather see him rehabilitated in prison in the UK than dead on the Syrian battlefield.”
