Lucas Kinney, a British convert to Islam, transitioned from a Catholic background to joining a radical Islamist group in Syria.
Syria: Lucas Kinney, the son of a British citizen and a Hollywood director, shocked the world when he converted to Islam. Once again, he is featured in news headlines as he has become a prominent member of the Syrian rebel group, Hayat Tahrir al-Sham. His impressive social media skills have earned him the respect of the group’s leadership. Kinney gained online notoriety through a video where he was seen with an AK-47 rifle slung over his shoulder. The peculiar detail that caught viewers’ attention was that he also had a toothbrush with him, which became a subject of amusement among online audiences.
Syrian Civil war: Hollywood director’s son who converted to Islam, fought in Syrian rebellion, now set to secure key position in…; his name is..
According to a Daily Mail report, he was the first white British convert to join jihad in Syria and has now become a significant part of the group. However, it is not clear whether he is still alive or not. His parents in London have refused to say anything about his whereabouts. Kinney was born in Hammersmith, West London. His father Patrick Kinney (68) is American and currently lives in Florida. While his mother, Deborah (62), is British.
Patrick has worked in several films, including ‘Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade’ and ‘Empire of the Sun’ with Steven Spielberg. The report further stated that when Lucas was studying in a Catholic primary school, his parents had divorced. Lucas’s mother Deborah now lives in West Country with her second husband and is now known by the name Deborah Phipps.
Speaking of his educational qualification, Kinney received ‘Holy Communion’ (an important religious practice in the Christian faith, particularly prevalent in Catholic, Orthodox, and some Protestant churches) as a Catholic during his teenage years and during his time in private school, he had spoken about becoming a priest.
Soon, things took a U-turn. Lucas Kinney, a British convert to Islam, transitioned from a Catholic background to joining a radical Islamist group in Syria. Kinney started going to the mosque. In 2013, he became a member of the Nusra Front, an Al Qaeda offshoot that later renamed itself Hayat Tahrir al-Sham. He traveled to the Middle East, participated in the conflict against Bashar al-Assad’s regime, and appeared in propaganda videos brandishing a Kalashnikov. Recently, his group entered Damascus triumphantly as Assad fled.
After converting to Islam, Kinney changed his name to Abu Basir al-Britani. It is reported that in 2018, he was seen living with his wife and two children in the rural areas of Idlib state in northwestern Syria. If he is still alive, he would now be 35 years old. Kinney’s stepfather, who lives in a stone cottage in West Country, refused to discuss with the ‘Daily Mail’ about his stepson becoming a jihadist. In a conversation with ‘Daily Mail’ in 2015, Mrs. Phipps had said, ‘Lucas is a target. I’m glad he’s associated with Al Qaeda rather than Islamic State, but obviously I worry.’
Topics