An Alabama-born Jihadi rapper, with a $5 million FBI bounty on his head, has reportedly been killed by members of his own group of Islamic militants in Somali, it was reported Thursday.
Omar Hammami, 29, who often posted YouTube videos of himself rapping, had been on the run for several months after a fallout with the al-Qaida-linked leader of al-Shabab.
Hammami was shot in a dawn raid in southern Somalia in a hideout he was sharing with Usama al-Britani, a British fighter of Pakistani origin, who was also killed,
according to reports.
"Al-Amriki and his comrades were attacked by well-armed fighters,'' village resident Hussein Nur told Reuters. "After a brief fight al-Amriki and his two colleagues were killed. Several of their guards escaped.''
Hammami, also know as Abu Mansoor Al-Amriki, or "the American" is believed to have traveled to Somalia in 2006 to join al-Shabab, an organization that aims to overthrow the fragile government of Somalia.
In March 2012, Hammami was placed on the FBI’s terrorist list with a $5 million bounty for his capture after US prosecutors charged him with providing military support to terrorists.
There have been several reports of Hammami’s death in the past. Hammami’s father, Shafik, speaking from the family home in Daphne, Ala., told NBC News that neither he nor Omar's mother Debra could confirm their son’s death.
"We have been through this before," he said. "It has been a rollercoaster and we have been through this before, so I don’t know how to react. It’s a difficult situation."
In a web video in March 2012 Hammami said he feared for his life by members of his own organization. The next month an attempt was made on his life.
He even tweeted about his brush with death. "Just been shot in neck by shabab assassin. not critical yet."
Hammami's Twitter feed was not active on Thursday.
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