Exclusive: ISIS Terrorist Wants to Return to Italy, Warns of ‘Sleeper Cells’

Exclusive: ISIS Terrorist Wants to Return to Italy, Warns of ‘Sleeper Cells’
Mounsef al-Mkhayar, 22, an ISIS terrorist of Morrocan descent and Italian citizenship, gestures during an interview with Reuters, in Qamishli, Syria, on March 9, 2019. Issam Abdallah/Reuters
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QAMISHLI, Syria—An ISIS terrorist detained in Syria urged Italy on Saturday, March 9, to let him come home to start a new life, saying he had abandoned the self-styled jihadist “caliphate” after growing disillusioned with its rulers.

Mounsef al-Mkhayar, a 22-year-old of Moroccan descent who grew up in Italy, spoke to Reuters in his first interview since surrendering to the U.S.-backed Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) two months ago.