Bastian Vasquez
Norwegian terrorist
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Bastian Vasquez (9 April 1990[1] – 2015), also known by his nom de guerre as Abu Safiyyah,[2] was a Chilean-Norwegian jihadist who made prominent appearances in propaganda videos for the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL).[3] He is presumed to have died in January or in April/May 2015, in a non-combat infighting incident.[4]
9 April 1990
Bastian Vasquez | |
|---|---|
Bastian Vasquez in the ISIL propaganda video of 2014 | |
| Born | Bastian Alexis Vásquez Núñez 9 April 1990 Skien, Norway |
| Died | approx. 9 March/May 2015 (aged 25) |
| Occupations | Hip hop singer and jihadist |
| Allegiance | ISIL |
Early activism
Born in Skien, Norway and of Chilean background, he was in a group of hip hop singers.[5] Vasquez joined the Norwegian Islamist group Profetens Ummah, reportedly recruited by Mohyeldeen Mohammad, after having converted to Islam in his teens.[6] He lived in Barcelona where he frequented Salafi circles.[7] He then joined ISIL and travelled to Syria in 2012.[3] He was due to meet in court in 2013 for having uploaded a video on YouTube, for which he was charged with making threats against the Norwegian government and the King of Norway.[2]
ISIL propagandist
On 29 June 2014 Vasquez appeared as the presenter in an ISIL propaganda video released by Al Hayat Media Center and titled The End of Sykes-Picot,[8] where he is seen showing a group of captives in a building, after which the building was blown up with Vasquez seen laughing and praising Allah.[3] He also appeared in a video where he described how he and others had killed Iraqi soldiers, and where a police station was blown up.[9][10] Following the publication of the videos, he was charged under Norway's anti-terror laws and wanted through Interpol, while his bank accounts were frozen.[3][4] Although often described as having risen through the ranks in the leadership of ISIL, others have claimed that his role was limited to propaganda work.[3][4]
Vasquez is reported to have suddenly stopped all communications with people in Norway in January, or possibly in April/May 2015. He is presumed to have been killed as part of infighting in ISIL, with differing theories on the specific sequence of events.[4] He could have been executed by ISIS after he had killed the son of Arfan Bhatti,[11] a leading figure in the Norwegian Islamist group Profetens Ummah,[12] or killed while making bombs for ISIS in March 2015.[13]