Malaysian-born Daesh leader killed

By P. Prem Kumar

KUALA LUMPUR

Malaysian-born Daesh militant leader Muhammad Wanndy Mohamed Jedi was killed in Syria last month, Malaysian police confirmed on Monday.

Jedi, who was instrumental in leading Daesh's first terror attack in Kuala Lumpur last year, died in an attack in Raqqa, Syria on April 29, the authorities said.

Malaysian Inspector General of Police Khalid Abu Bakar said local and international intelligence had suggested Jedi's death and those reports had now been verified.

Jedi was known among international police forces as a prominent Southeast Asian Daesh militant leader in addition to his role as a primary recruiter of locals into the terror grouping.

"After studying the intelligence obtained, the Malaysian police confirmed that Muhammad Wanndy was killed in an attack in Raqqa, Syria on 29/4/17," Bakar said in a short statement.

On April 29, news of Jedi’s death spread on social media after his wife, Nor Mahmudah Ahmad, uploaded a status on Facebook claiming her husband had died in a drone attack.

Police and terrorism experts had cast doubt on the news, claiming it could be a cover for Jedi to escape a massive search operation.

Jedi, who came from a small town in the southern state of Malacca, left for Syria in 2014 with his wife.

Malaysian police had linked him with a grenade attack on an entertainment center in Kuala Lumpur on June 28 last year -- the first such attack in the country.

Police identified him as the man who gave the order to carry out the attack, which injured eight people.