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Kiwi jihadist being held in Syrian jail after surrendering

Author
Newstalk ZB,
Publish Date
Mon, 4 Mar 2019, 12:53PM
Former ISIS guard Mark Taylor is being held in Kurdish jail.

Kiwi jihadist being held in Syrian jail after surrendering

Author
Newstalk ZB,
Publish Date
Mon, 4 Mar 2019, 12:53PM

A New Zealand man's stint with ISIS has ended in a whimper.

Mark Taylor, infamously dubbed the "bumbling Jihadi", has been captured in Northern Syria.

Taylor, also known as Mohammad Daniel and Abu Abdul Rahman, burnt his New Zealand passport after going to Syria to fight for Isis.

The 42-year-old surrendered to to Kurdish troops and is now in prison.

Taylor told ABC news he constantly ran afoul of ISIS rules, and was locked up a number of times.

"The last time tey put me in prison was for a ridiculous reason, it was because I accused of drinking alcohol and making alcohol and smoking hashish."

Taylor, who had two wives, says one of his biggest regrets is that he couldn't afford to buy a slave.

The Kiwi gained notoriety after accidentally revealing his location in the Middle East on social media.

Newstalk ZB political editor Barry Soper told Andrew Dickens that he surrendered because "there was no food, no money and the basic services were pretty much collapsed in ISIS".

"He's a 42-year-old and he's known as a bumbling jihadi because over the recent years he let his location been known in the Middle East on social media."

However, Soper said Taylor, who was born in Hamilton, could cause problems if he survives.

"We can't deny him his citizenship because he is a New Zealand citizen, but what do with him when he does return, other than keeping him under very careful surveillance."

In 2014, Taylor, declared a Specially Designated Global Terrorist by the US, claimed he'd contacted the New Zealand government to try and get a new passport.

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