London mother took her one-year-old daughter to Syria to join aspiring footballer turned into jihadi husband

A Sunday Times investigation was able to reveal the true identity of the mother who met Portuguese Pocas after he moved to Britain.

Pocas was one of a number of men who moved from their native Portugal to London, where they converted to Islam before adopting extremist views and travelling to Syria to join the terrorist network’s ranks.

The men, who lived in Leyton and Walthamstow, had long been on the radar of intelligence officials who believed they were involved in the production and dissemination of the sick beheading videos featuring Jihadi John.

It was eventually revealed that Pocas was the man behind the slick and professionally edited footage of Muath al-Kasasbeh being burned to death while locked in a cage in northern Syria.

The gruesome murder of Mr al-Kasasbeh in 2015 is widely considered to be one of the most horrific acts ever committed to film and employed expensive HD cameras and Hollywood-style cinematic effects to capture the full brutality of his shocking death.

Pocas was the youngest member of the group and moved to London from Lisbon in 2012 with dreams of becoming a professional footballer.

He had previously played at the youth academy of Sporting Lisbon – a club which has bred a host of world stars including Luis Figo and Cristiano Ronaldo.

After arriving in London, Pocas began playing for an amateur league team called UK Football Finder Football Club (UKFFFC), where he flourished.

After helping the side become champions of their division, he was offered the prospect of a trial with a professional club.

It was around this time that Pocas converted to Islam, however, with his newly found faith taking his mind away from football and leading to his failure to take advantage of the opportunity.

He is thought to have subsequently died in a drone strike.

Source: Daily Mail