An online friend of of ISIS' 'Twitter Jihadi' @ShamiWitness, whose real name is Mehdi Masroor Biswas, claims that the 24-year-old Indian national was a normal commentator of the Syrian struggle initially, before he was turned 'deviant' by ISIS.
Earlier on Saturday, the Bangalore police arrested the 24-year-old, who ran one of the most influential Twitter accounts for Islamic State @ShamiWitness. His arrest is said to have had a damning effect on the online propaganda of the ISIS that has been influencing new converts from Britain and other European countries to join the group in Syria and Iraq.
It is reported that @ShamiWitness has had close interactions with several British jihadists, who joined ISIS.
An online friend of @ShamiWitness, one Abu_analyst @silenttweep, has released a lengthy article describing the transition of the 24-year-old B-Tech graduate from West Bengal, who turned into a 'deviant' ISIS mouthpiece, without understanding the teaching of Islam.
"I just read the news about the arrest of ShamiWitness. I have been inactive on twitter and might again become inactive but I was among those had interacted on twitter with Shami quite early on and even when he wasn't 'ShamiWitness' but just 'ElSaltador' and who observed his transition from a normal commentator to a full-fledged ISIS supporter," Abu_analyst @silenttweep wrote.
Abu_analyst @silenttweep,who comes across as a Jabhat al-Nusra supporter, claimed that during the intial interactions itself @ShamiWitness had hinted that "he is some kind of an Engineering [graduate] with Indian Background."
In his lengthy piece, Abu_analyst @silenttweep tries to draw-out a reason that influenced Mehdi Masroor Biswas to turn from a 'normal sympathiser' to a 'deviant' ISIS mouthpiece, who justified everything that ISIS did.
The former online friend of the 'Twitter Jihadi'@ShamiWitness then noted that "I was among those who initially sympathised with ISIS, but unlike Shami, [ ] I had read and understood the issues of takfir [a Muslim who accuses another Muslim (or an adherent of another Abrahamic faith) of apostasy.] before reading up current affairs.
"And then, when I got the chance to know the [truth] of many among ISIS through their members like Abu Qaqa al Britani...I distanced myself from ISIS..." @silenttweep wrote.
He then observes that it is a "common problem with many of those who support ISIS" they get influenced by the power, slogans and videos of the group without understanding the reality about the group. And end up transforming from regular fanboys to deviants themselves, he stated.
His message to all ISIS fans such as @ShamiWitness is that to study the basics of Islam, before joining any jihadist group.
