KUALA LUMPUR: Former drummer of rock band Ukays, Wan Mohd Aquil Wan Zainal Abidin, better known as Akel Zainal, died in Syria earlier this year after joining the terrorist group Islamic State.
This was revealed by Bukit Aman Special Branch Counter Terrorism (E8) Assistant Chief Datuk Ayob Khan Mydin Pitchay, today
He said that based on information obtained from his foreign counterpart and Malaysian sources in Syria, Akel, 39, his wife and two children, aged 2 and 3, were killed in a Russian airstrike on his home in Baghouz in March. A Belgian Islamic State fighter was also killed in the incident.
Akel was reported to have joined Islamic State following the outbreak of the Syrian conflict and was actively involved in fighting since Jan 3, 2014.
He is believed to be the most senior Malaysian Islamic State fighter in Syria, and had been identified by local authorities as the culprit behind several plans to carry out terrorist attacks in Malaysia.
Meanwhile, Ayob said that another senior Malaysian militant, Mohd Rafi Udin, 53, also known as Abu Awn Al-Malizi, was also killed in a Russian airstrike in January.
A former senior member of the Kumpulan Mujahideen Malaysia (KMM), Mohd Rafi joined Jemaah Islamiyah (JI) before leaving for Syria to join Islamic State. He was featured in an Islamic State video in 2016 calling for attacks on Syria’s secular government and its leaders. – Bernama