Denis Cuspert
Abu Maleeq | |
|---|---|
Denis Cuspert in a video produced by IS | |
| Born | Denis Mamadou Gerhard Cuspert 18 October 1975 |
| Died | 17 January 2018 (aged 42) |
| Cause of death | Airstrike |
| Other names | Deso Dogg, Abu Talha al-Almani, Abou Maleeq, Abu Yasir al-Almani |
| Occupations | Rapper, IS member |
| Military career | |
| Allegiance | Millatu Ibrahim (2012–13)
Junud al-Sham (2013) Islamic State (2013–18) |
| Service years | 2012–2018 |
| Conflicts | Egypt
Libya Syria |
Denis Mamadou Gerhard Cuspert (18 October 1975 – 17 January 2018), also known by his stage name Deso Dogg and his nom de guerre Abu Talha al-Almani (Arabic: أبو طلحة الألماني), was a German rapper who became a member of the Islamic State.
Cuspert ended his rap career in 2010, converted to Islam and took on the new Islamic name Abou Maleeq (Arabic: أبو طلحة). He left Germany in 2012 for Egypt and Libya, eventually going to Syria in 2013, where he fought with jihadist anti-government forces in the Syrian Civil War, under the nom de guerre of Abu Talha Al-Almani (meaning Abu Talha the German).
He was wounded during fighting in the northern-Syrian town of Azaz in an air-strike conducted by the Syrian Arab Air Force. In 2014, he gave his oath of allegiance to Islamist-Jihadi group the Islamic State (IS).
The United States Department of State added Cuspert to its list of Specially Designated Global Terrorists on 9 February 2015, and the United Nations Al-Qaida Sanctions Committee designated him on 11 February 2015. In January 2018, the pro-IS Wafa' Media Foundation announced his death during clashes in the town of Gharanij.