ISIS claimed that an Australian teen carried out a suicide bombing that left two dead and eight wounded in western Iraq Thursday.
In a propaganda video, the terrorist group said 18-year-old Jake Bilardi was killed detonating one of at least 13 car bombs that simultaneously exploded in Ramadi in the Anbar province Wednesday.
The group also posted a picture of a young man who looks like Bilardi driving a van on a dusty street. The image was captioned with his Arabic name, Abu Abdullah al Australi, and the words, “may God accept him.”
“I can confirm that we’re seeking to independently verify that he was part of this suicide bombing attack,” Australian Foreign Minister Julie Bishop said Thursday. “The news appears very grim, but we are seeking to independently verify it.”
Other foreign fighters from Russia, Belgium, Egypt, Morocco, Syria and Uzbekistan served as suicide bombers in the attack, ISIS claimed.
Bilardi, who after he left his Melbourne home for the Middle East in August, made headlines before for his alleged ISIS affiliation. He was nicknamed the “White Jihadi” by British media after photos of him in front of ISIS flags surfaced on social media in December. He appears to hold a rifle while sitting next to two militants in one picture.
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