Neil Prakash dead? ISIS fighter allegedly killed in Syria

NEIL Prakash was a rapper who wrote songs about sex, Islam and drugs before he turned into a terrorist mastermind.

He was formerly known as Kree Dafa and when his musical career failed, he went on to lead Australians to Islamic State.

The 24-year-old Islamic State jihadist, who has a Fijian and Cambodian background, is now believed to be dead after the news was broken on a secret app called Telegram.

He converted to Islam from Buddhism and just over a year later, in 2013, he travelled to Syria and changed his name to Abu Khaled al-Cambodi.

But there was one thing about him that didn’t change — that was his depraved demeanour.

Even when he wrote his rap rhymes he would say things like “Get out of my face b****, here’s my d***/Open wide and suck that s***/Yeah, slap me with it”.

He then quickly rose in the IS ranks as he released propaganda videos encouraging other young Australians to join the terror organisation.

It is believed he would try to recruit Australians with trades and engineering degrees.
Fairfax Media released a video last year, showing Prakash encouraging people to attack Australia.

He told his “beloved brothers in Islam in Australia” that now was the time to rise up and wake up.

“You must start attacking before they attack you,” he said. “Look how much of your sisters have been violated. All I hear on the news in Australia is this sister was hurt, this sister was hurt.”

In his video he also praised the acts of Numan Haider, a terror suspect who attacked an Australian Federal Police officer and a Victoria policeman with a knife in 2014. It was believed Haider had planned to behead the officers and cover them in an IS flag.
“Look what he did brothers,” Prakash said in the video. “Now time to work on yourselves.”

Prakash’s actions secured him a spot on United States’ terror hit list.

Last year police were investigating the role Prakash played in the Melbourne Anzac Day terror plot.

He had links to Melbourne teen, Sevdet Besim, who planned to behead police officers.

In court last week, it was revealed the teen discussed packing a kangaroo with explosives and letting it loose on police officers.

Another teenage boy who executed a police employee in Parramatta in October also had links to Prakash, who spoke in May about his opposition to Australia’s security laws.

In 2015, AAP reported Prakash forced three major airlines to ground planes in the Middle East after he tweeted a bomb hoax.

Etihad, Lufthansa and Turkish Airlines turned back or diverted planes from Turkey to Egypt.

According to The Australian more than 450 passengers were on the flights and Prakash claimed bombs had been placed on two planes.

A couple of months later, it was reported he was looking for potential wives and Muslims with disabilities to join him in Syria.

The Herald Sun reported in July 2015 he had targeted new recruits on social media in a bid to stop Islamic State ranks from diminishing.

He would tell the women all jihadists were single until they married four women.
In August of the same year, he again tried to rally Australians to join IS after Sydney’s IS recruit Khaled Sharrouf was reportedly killed.

The Daily Telegraph reported Prakash had said dead bodies had become like stepping stones.

As recently as August, Islamic State released a hit list that was inscribed with names of Australians. Prakash urged his followers and Islamic State sympathisers to attack those named. On the list were eight Australians including a Victorian MP, defence officials and public servants.

The government has still not been able to confirm his death.
A spokesman for Australia’s Attorney-General George Brandis said the government “cannot confirm reports of the death of Neil Prakash at this time because of the serious security situation in Syria and Iraq”.