Wife of British suicide bomber Jamal al-Harith reveals he used compensation money from Guantanamo jailing to fund Syria move
Widow Shukee Begum claims public money given to ISIS fanatic for being in Guantanamo may have funded extremism
THE WIFE of an ISIS fanatic who blew himself up in a suicide attack this week has revealed he used taxpayer's cash to fund his journey to Syria.
Widow Shukee Begum said public money given to Jamal al-Harith for being in Guantanamo may have been used to pay for his extremist activities, including travel to Syria where he joined ISIS.
Jamal al-Harith, born Ronald Fiddler, reportedly won a £1million payout from the UK government after claiming Brit agents were complicit in his mistreatment at the US jail.
Speaking in a report broadcast on Thursday evening, Begum claimed the money her late husband was given by the UK government was "substantially less" than the £1million being reported.
She added that the money was given as an out of court settlement as opposed to compensation.
She said there was "not much money left", adding that UK taxpayers may have helped fund his extremist activities.
When asked about the monitoring of her husband, Begum told how he was "stopped and questioned by UK authorities for six hours on his return" from a trip to Gaza in 2009.
She said the ISIS fanatic was "not monitored" aside from this.
Her claims follow reports by MI5 dropped him off their watch list when he fled the UK in 2014.
Jamal al-Harith gave a chilling TV interview days after his release from Guantanamo Bay in 2004.
The jihadi revealed his hatred for his captors in an interview after his release, saying he wanted to “spit in the faces” of the soldiers and guards.
Speaking about the moment he was freed, he told the : “I was very angry actually.
“First when they told me I was scared because I had been in a cage for so long I didn't want to leave, strange as it might sound.
“When they were taking us out I could see the British plane waiting for us - they had to walk us over the 300 metres - and we got put in front to the British Bobby and the American soldier was taking off my chains I wanted to spit in his face but you have to hold yourself inside.”
The Manchester-born terrorist, 50, who converted to Islam in 1992, also revealed his intention to sue for compensation after spending two years inside the jail.
He was locked up at the notorious camp in Cuba in March 2002 after being captured in Afghanistan by US troops who suspected him of being a Taliban sympathiser.
But he was freed two years later following intense lobbying by Tony Blair’s Labour government.
The dad-of-five was reportedly able to fleece British taxpayers out of £1million after claiming he was actually a Taliban hostage when he was picked up by US soldiers.
After his release he fled the UK to fight in Syria as militants swept across the region in 2014.
It was only revealed he had gone to join ISIS when his British wife Shukee Begum fled the territory having failed to convince him to come home.
Al-Harith was filmed driving a death car packed full of explosives into an Iraqi army base southwest of Mosul on Monday.
A chilling picture has also emerged of the suicide bomber grinning wildly as he sat surrounded by wires in the car in which he is understood to have blown himself up.
Who was Jamal al-Harith?
MUSLIM convert Jamal al-Harith was freed from the infamous US detention centre in 2004 after then-Home Secretary David Blunkett campaigned for his release.
At the time of al-Harith’s release from Guantanamo Bay, Mr Blunkett, said: “No one who is returned…will actually be a threat to the security of the British people.”
The ex-Labour cabinet member initially opposed the return of British Guantanamo Bay detainees.
He wanted the captives tried in American civil courts because he feared trials in the UK could collapse because of the conditions they were held in, in the United States.
When al-Harith was released in 2004, he was repatriated to England and released without charge.
Footage of his attack shows a pack of suicide cars stuffed with bombs and encased in armour travelling near Mosul.
It later shows another fighter cheering before he shuts the driver-side door and pulls off.
Moments later giant clouds of smoke can be seen in the distance.
At least two of the jihadis managed to reach a base west of the city where they detonated their explosives — killing and injuring a number of troops, the Iraqi soldiers said.
The extremists later released a statement saying: "The martyrdom-seeking brother Abu Zakariya al-Britani — may Allah accept him — detonated his explosives-laden vehicle on a headquarters of the Rafidhi army and its militias in Tal Kisum village, southwest of Mosul."
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His brother Brian Jameson told The Sun: “Ronald’s a good bloke. He’s kind and caring — nothing like the man who would do this.
"I know he had become more extremist over the years but I spoke to him a few months back and he seemed just like the brother I knew. I’m devastated.”
The end of his fighting name — al-Britani — is commonly used by ISIS to identify jihadists from Britain.
But the Foreign Office has said due to the nature of the conflict it is unable to fully verify dead Brit fighters.
A spokesperson told The Sun: "As all UK consular services are suspended in Syria and greatly limited in Iraq, it is extremely difficult to confirm the whereabouts and status of British Nationals in these areas.”
It is estimated that about 850 British citizens have fled the country and travelled to Syria or Iraq to join the terror group.
Iraqi forces have been waging war with ISIS fighters in Mosul since last October, when a massive US-led offensive was launched to re-capture the terror stronghold.
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