Allahu snack bar.
A 560-pound, high-ranking Islamic State official nicknamed “Jabba the Jihadi” was arrested in Mosul by Iraqi forces who had to load him on a pickup truck because he was too big for a police car.
Abu Abdul Bari, also known as Shifa al-Nima, was a preacher who made “provocative speeches against the security forces”, Stars And Stripes reported. He was considered one of the top leaders of “ISIS gangs,” according to a statement Thursday by the Iraqi government’s security media.
Considered by ISIS to be an authority in Quranic law, Bari issued religious decrees or fatwas, ordering the execution of scholars and clerics who refused to pledge allegiance to the terrorist group, the statement said. He also ordered the destruction of cultural sites including a mosque believed to be the burial place of the biblical prophet Jonah.
The mosque was one of several cultural sites ISIS destroyed as it invaded Syria and Iraq, claiming large territories for itself before being ousted. ISIS remains a threat in the region.
Stars and Stripes posted images of Bari reclining on cushions inside his apparent hideout and being loaded into the back of a pickup truck.
Social media had a lot of fun with it.
Memes included “He puts the fat in fatwa” and “Star Wars”-themed jokes comparing Bari — “Jabba The Jihadi” — to Jabba The Hutt, one of the galaxy’s most powerful gangsters who lived on the desert planet Tatooine.
“Captured? Looks like he was rescued from a heart attack,” @jmceknives tweeted.
“Let me guess…they baited the trap with peanut butter?” wrote SecretSauce @MAGASecretly.
“He puts the “phat” in caliphate,” Easter Island Leno
@abemuniz tweeted.
Listen to GHOGH with Jamarlin Martin | Episode 67: Jamarlin Martin
Jamarlin goes solo to discuss the NFL’s entertainment and “social justice” deal with Jay-Z. We look back at the Barclays gentrification issue in the documentary “A Genius Leaves The Hood: The Unauthorized Story of Jay-Z.”
Images of Bari’s arrest will be a psychological blow for ISIS, said Maajid Nawaz, founder of the London-based counter-extremist organization Quilliam.
“Gluttony is frowned upon by jihadists. But also, ISIS branded themselves as fighters possessing rare courage & discipline … meanwhile this walrus was their top religious cleric,” Nawaz wrote on Facebook. “He was so overweight, maybe from remaining sedentary in his hiding place, that he had to be taken by police in the back of a pickup truck.”
Bari’s capture is considered one of the most significant in recent months, Jerusalem Post reported. He was arrested by the SWAT team of the Nineveh police command in Mosul, northern Iraq. “He is considered one of the foremost leaders of ISIS and was responsible for issuing fatwas that led to the murder of scholars and clerics,” Iraqi police said.
