Islamic State announces death of Australian jihadist in Syria

The Islamic State group has announced the death in Syria of an Australian jihadist convicted over a 2005 plot to bomb the Melbourne Cricket Ground, in a new English-language magazine.

Ezzit Raad, who travelled to the Middle East after serving time in jail, died fighting for IS in Manbij near the battleground city of Aleppo in northern Syria, according to the online propaganda magazine Rumiyah released yesterday.

The first edition also featured calls for lone-wolf attacks in the West, singling out targets in Australia in a biography of the Australian jihadist of Lebanese origin, also known as Abu Mansur al-Muhajir.

The 38-page magazine was released simultaneously in seven languages, including English, French, German, Russian and Turkish.
Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull said last week that more than 60 Australians have so far been killed in Iraq and Syria, while around 200 people back home had been investigated for supporting militant groups.

Ten attacks have been foiled in Australia since the country raised its alert level to high in 2014, he said, but three have taken place, including the murder of a police employee in Sydney in October.

Officials announced last week that Australia would start targeting jihadist support and logistics resources in Iraq and Syria, as it broadens the scope of its air war on IS as part of a US-led multinational coalition.