American Jihadist: U.S. Army veteran
Eric Harroun Joined al Qaeda Group
Jabhat al-Nusra “Mujahedeen”
(Fighters of God)
Eric Harroun (right), a 30-year-old U.S. Army veteran from Phoenix, has joined al Qaeda alias Jabhat al-Nusra after months of fighting with Syrian rebels
A U.S. Army veteran says he has joined an offshoot of al Qaeda after spending several months fighting alongside Syrian rebel forces.
Eric Harroun, 30, of Phoenix, has joined al Qaeda-linked group Jabhat al-Nusra in part because of his fascination with the conflict in the Middle East.
His story will undoubtedly infuriate the hundreds of thousands of service men and women who have risked their lives on the battlefields fighting al Qaeda, only to learn that he never actually served overseas for the United States, picking up disability pay for years before going over to fight for the terrorist-backed organization.
‘Getting into al-Nusra is not rocket science,’ he said. ‘It just takes balls and brains.’
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Harroun, who is known among Syrian rebels and loyalists as ‘The American,’ joined the U.S. Army in 2000 and he was dishcharged with full disability pay for an injury in 2003 without ever having seen battle
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Different life: Eric Harroun, pictured here with his sister Sarah and her daughter, lived in Phoenix, Arizona and worked at a mortgage company years before becoming a fighter alongside al Qaeda-linked groups
Harroun, who is known among Syrian rebels and loyalists as ‘The American,’ joined the U.S. Army in 2000 and he was discharged with full disability pay for an injury in 2003 without ever having seen battle, according to his father.
He was injured while riding in a pickup truck that hit a tree and he now has a steel plate in his head, his father Darryl Harroun toldFox.
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Rebel fighting: In his time working for the U.S. army, Harroun never actually served in battle but earned his disability check because he was hit in a car crash on a base
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Harroun revels in his ‘hero’ status and brags on Facebook and in YouTube vidoes of his bloody exploits in the Middle East
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Harroun, right, describes himself as a Sunni Muslim on Facebook and writes about his hatred of Israel and Zionists
‘Now he has mood swings and what-not,’ he said. ‘He was already suffering from depression before that, and the accident just kind of multiplied it,’ the elder Mr Harroun said he frequently talks to his son by phone.
He said he doesn’t agree with what Eric is doing but can’t get him to stop.
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‘He just loves that part of the world,’ his father said. ‘We scratch our heads and wonder what the hell he’s doing.
‘I told him, “You’re never going to change those people’s minds over there.” But he says they treat him like a hero.’
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Domestic life: Before going overseas, Harroun lived in this Phoenix, Arizona apartment building
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Previous life: He worked at Artisan Mortgage Company from 2006 to 2008 finalizing second mortgages ‘and alot of other boring paperwork’
Proud: Now he posts pictures as he holds machine guns and dressed in army fatigues while in Syria
Eric Harroun revels in his ‘hero’ status and brags on Facebook and in YouTube videos of his bloody exploits in the Middle East.
His Facebook page is littered with photos of himself brandishing handguns, rifles, mortars and other weaponry.
‘He says they treat him like a hero.’-Eric’s father Darryl Harroun says
In a photo of himself holding a mortar in one hand and a rifle in the other that he posted on Facebook, he writes, ‘Lol Army of Darkness, This is my BOOM STICK. Lol.’
A lit cigarette hangs out of his mouth in the image and in a similar photo featuring a sniper rifle, where he writes, ‘Ready to tear Bashar Al-Assads [sic] Army and the Shabehah apart!!’
He describes himself as a Sunni Muslim on Facebook and writes about his hatred of Israel and Zionists. Under his ‘Favorite Quotations’ section of his profile he writes, ‘The only good Zionist is a dead Zionist.’
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The Syrian rebel group Amr ibn al-’Aas Brigade told Fox that ‘The American’ was working with them until last month – about the time he reportedly joined Al-Nusra
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Harroun’s father said he fears for his son’s safety and has little doubt that he will lose him battles abroad
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Early on: Harroun appears to have been in Cairo’s Tehir Square at the time of the Arab Spring in 2011
In a YouTube video uploaded in mid-January, Harroun warns Assad that his days are ‘numbered.’
‘Bashar Assad, your days are numbered,’ he says in the video, where he is surrounded by several rebel fighters. ‘You are going down in flames. You should just quit now, while you can, and leave. You are going to die, no matter what. Where you go we will find you and kill you. Do you understand?’
The Syrian rebel group Amr ibn al-’Aas Brigade told Fox that ‘The American’ was working with them until last month – about the time he reportedly joined al-Nusra.
Harroun’s father said he fears for his son’s safety and has little doubt that he will lose him battles abroad.
‘I know one day I’m going to get a message from over there, telling me my son is dead,’ he said.
US Army veteran Eric Harroun joins al Qaeda-linked group after
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Jabhat al-Nusra (Photo courtesy of AFP)
Jabhat al-Nusra are known as fierce opposition fighters by some and terrorists by others but the gunmen say really they’re just misunderstood.
Formed to combat the Syrian regime, the motley crew of Syrians and foreign jihadist fighters have been described as “the most aggressive and successful arm of the rebel force”.
But despite being officially declared a ‘terrorist organization’ by the US,these feared fighters remain adamant that their views are far from extreme.
In an exclusive interview, a 21-year-old fighter and self-professed “sheikh” known as Brother Huthaifa, tells American public radio network, NPR, that the group are not religious extremists but “Mujahedeen” (fighters of God).
However, the former sharia (Islamic law) student from Libya whose religious beliefs drove him to Syria six months ago, goes on to tell a far from moderate tale of the group’s ambitions.
“We believe in the prophecy of implementing an Islamic state,” the young militant says, alluding to the possibility of implementing Al-Hudud (Islamic punishments for serious crimes).
The ‘misunderstood ‘ soldier explains that in the Islamic state, “preserving the Muslim society,” is to be of the upmost importance.
“Prevention is the best treatment. What makes people commit sin is viewing porn films, listening to songs that provoke desire,” he says.
Offering a unique insight into the mindset of the militant group, Brother Huthaifa explains why it is so important for women to cover: “If I gave someone two lollipops … one is covered and the other is not. Where will the germs and the bacteria go? To the uncovered one. And the same with the woman; if she is uncovered, the rotten one, who will the men chase? While if the woman is covered, even the most beautiful one, they will not chase her.”
Comparing women to lollipops and men to germs might be an unusual analogy but for the soldier of fortune it helps encapsulate his views on life.
However, despite his best efforts, much of the international community still dismiss Nusra fighters as terrorists and with theirflair for bombings and alleged involvement in mass executions, that won’t be changing any time soon.
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