Douglas McAuthur McCain, a Minneapolis native and aspiring rapper, has been killed in the Middle East after joining a terrorist organization. Investigations conclude that McAuthur McCain left the U.S. for Turkey to fight for militant organization ISIS.
Relative Kenneth McCain told The Associated Press that the State Department had called his family to tell them the news that McAuthur McCain had been killed in Syria. The State Department told the press that it’s unsure whether McAuthur McCain died in combat.
U.S. law enforcement and intelligence officials have expressed concerns regarding the influence of die-hard jihadists seeking to overthrow Syrian President Bashar Assad.
Officials say they fear that radicals will change the mindset of newcomers to ISIS and teach them practices that they may, then, implement once they return home to the U.S. or Europe.
McAuthur McCain is a practicing Muslim who most recently lived in San Diego and worked at a Somali restaurant. He last spoke to his family on Aug. 22, 2014, telling cousin Kenyata McCain that he was in Turkey, according to the Minneapolis Star Tribune.
An acquaintance at the restaurant said McAuthur McCain was normal and “open-minded’ and just “wanted to be a good Muslim.”
He had sent a series of tweets back in June, which included messages to an ISIS fighter, which read: “I will be joining you guys soon.”