ISIS general who decapitated man and blew another up with a rocket ‘sneaks into Europe along with 400 soldiers hell bent on waging war’
Lavdrim Muhaxheri and his men are among thousands who have fled after ISIS had to give up the Syrian city of Aleppo
AN ISIS general is back in Europe with up to 400 of his must trusted soldiers after fleeing the fighting in Syria.
According to Italian intelligence, Lavdrim Muhaxheri and his men are among thousands who have fled after ISIS had to give up the Syrian city of Aleppo and suffered losses elsewhere in the country.
The information leaked from the Italian spying service, who have agents in Kosovo and revealed that many of the fighters who had been forced out had disguised themselves as refugees in order to get into Europe.
Muhaxheri, also known as Abu Abdullah al Kosova, is not only a Kosovo Albanian Islamic State (IS) leader but also one of the most public figures because of his foreign roots and his efforts to recruit other foreign jihadi fighters.
He left for Syria in late 2012 and has appeared in several propaganda videos, calling Albanians to join jihad and has uploaded pictures of himself appearing to decapitate a man, as well as a video where he kills a captive with a rocket.
On September 34, the US State Department branded Muhaxheri a global terrorist.
Italian newspaper "L'Espresso", quoting the intelligence services, said that between 300 and 400 members of the Islamic ‘caliphate’ had come to Kosovo with him.
His arrival coincided with plans for an attack on Israel's national soccer team and other targets which he is believed to have masterminded after arriving back in the country.
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Prosecutors say Muhaxheri and fellow IS fighter Ridvan Haqifi planned attacks on international and state institutions, ultimately with the intent to establish an Islamic state.
They say he planned to attack the Israeli football team during a match in Albania and Kosovo government institutions, as well as Serbian Orthodox Church sites, were also potential targets.
In total 19 people were arrested as a result of the plot being uncovered, with the trail to the mastermind reportedly leading back to Muhaxheri.
Quoting an unnamed security source the paper said: "Numerous jihadists are returning to Europe and the Balkans, aiming to hit the old continent at its heart. Some of them are being identified by security services, but many others manage to cross the borders without being identified."
The Italian intelligence reports however have so far been rejected by Kosovo police, who despite admitting that he was probably behind the attacks, insisted that their information was that he was still in Syria.
It is not the first time he has managed to sneak back into the country. He managed to get back into Kosovo in 2013 and was photographed to prove that he was there, but then he returned to Syria again before he could be arrested.