LONDON: The British father of two brothers who were killed fighting for an Al-Qaeda-affiliated group in Syria has been charged with terrorism offenses.
Abubakr Deghayes, 53, from Brighton on England’s south coast, was charged on Wednesday on suspicion of encouraging the commission, preparation or instigation of acts of terrorism.
He was arrested and charged following an investigation by Sussex police and counterterror officers.
His sons Jaffar and Abdullah died aged 17 and 18 respectively while fighting Syrian President Bashar Assad’s forces in 2014. They left England to join Jabhat Al-Nusra.
Their brother Abdul, 22 — another son of Abubakr — was stabbed to death by a Brighton drug dealer in 2019.
Abubakr’s only surviving son, Amer, remains in Syria after leaving Britain before his younger brothers.
Abubakr is the brother of Omar Deghayes, who was held by the US in Guantanamo Bay after he was arrested in Pakistan shortly after the Taliban were toppled from power in neighboring Afghanistan in 2002.
Omar was released from the controversial camp in 2007, saying abuses by US guards had led to him lose his eyesight in one eye.
Sussex Police Superintendent Rachel Swinney said: “We, along with our partners in CTPSE (Counter Terrorism Policing South East), take seriously reports of all forms of toxic ideology which has the potential to divide our communities and threaten the safety of our people.”
She added: “Although this individual resided in our area, it is not believed that there is any immediate threat to the safety of local communities and I would urge people to refrain from speculation.
“However, we understand that operations like this can often cause concern therefore we, along with our partners, will be in the community over the coming days to answer any questions or concerns.”
