Exclusive: Mr Letts tells The Independent that he is not a member of Isis but says he fears arrest if he returns to the UK
In his first interview since reports accused him of becoming the first white British man to travel to Syria and join the jihadist group, Jack Letts insists he has travelled to the so-called Islamic State to spread the word of Allah and help “take down” the government of Bashar al-Assad.
“I can speak Arabic and English,” he said. “That’s like my only skill. I’ve spent efforts to take down the Syrian government.”
In the interview, conducted over messaging app Telegram, Mr Letts, who has been widely dubbed “Jihadi Jack”, confirms he is still in Syria and admits he will probably be put in prison if he tries to return to the UK.
He also calls on British people to convert to Islam and says David Cameron is “f not actually mentally ill… [then] an evil creature”.
“If Britain stopped bombing Muslims in Syria, the Muslims in Syria would stop attacking them… is that hard to understand?” he says.
On Sunday, Mr Letts was named as having joined the jihadist group. The reports were accompanied by a picture of him seemingly giving the one-fingered salute many associate with Isis.
Mr Letts, who attended Cherwell School in Oxford, converted to Islam as a teenager and left his home more than a year ago. He was accused of admitting to his parents that he was with the group in September 2014.
He subsequently posted private messages to hisFacebook account – also seen by The Independent – in which he accused the press of telling lies about him because of his Islamic faith. His Facebook account appears to have since been suspended.
There is no way of corroborating the accuracy of Mr Letts’ claims.
In order to confirm his identity, The Independent asked Mr Letts to provide a sound recording of his voice, which was then verified with two unrelated people who know him. They both said it was Mr Letts’ voice.
While there is no indication Jack Letts was speaking while under duress during the interview, it has not been possible to verify for certain that his answers were given with no immediate influence from other parties.
Mr Letts’ parents have not responded to The Independent‘s request for comment.
There is a transcript.
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