A British convert may have found himself at the heart of Syria’s rebel ruling force after impressing leaders with his communications skills.
Lucas Kinney, originally from Surrey, rose to prominence within the extremist group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham after demonstrating his value through an impactful social media campaign.
Kinney garnered additional attention for his online videos which featured him prominently displaying an AK-47 while also notably carrying a toothbrush among his ammunition. This led viewers to humorously comment ‘don’t forget your toothbrush’.
He was the first white British convert known to have joined the jihad in Syria, the only one in the now triumphant group.
However, there are uncertainties surrounding his survival amidst the intense conflict, and his parents in London have opted not to disclose any information regarding his location.
Kinney was born in Hammersmith, west London, the son of American Patrick Kinney, now 68 and living in Florida, and British mother Deborah, now 62.
Patrick worked with Steven Spielberg on films including Indiana Jones and The Last Crusade and Empire of the Sun.
A British convert may have found himself at the heart of Syria’s rebel ruling force after impressing leaders with his communications skills. Lucas Kinney (pictured here age 13) became a key player of Hayat Tahrir al-Sham
Kinney gained extra notoriety for his online videos because as well as carrying an AK-47 over his shoulder, he had a toothbrush
Kinney’s parents divorced when he was at a catholic primary school in Surrey, and his mother, now Deborah Phipps, lives with her second husband in the West Country. This image is from Kinney’s old social media account
Kinney’s parents divorced when he was at a catholic primary school in Surrey, and his mother, now Deborah Phipps, lives with her second husband in the West Country.
Kinney received Holy Communion as a teenage Catholic and talked of becoming a priest while at private school.
But he started going to a mosque – then travelled to the Middle East to take up a Kalashnikov against dictator Bashar al-Assad, boasting about it in propaganda videos.
The group he joined in 2013 was an offshoot of Osama bin Laden’s feared Al Qaeda, the Nusra Front.
It changed its name to Hayat Tahrir al-Sham – which on Sunday entered Damascus in triumph as hated Assad fled.
Kinney’s stepfather, who lives in a honeyed stone cottage on the west country, refused to speak to the Daily Mail about the jihadi convert.
But Kinney – who had taken the nom de guerre Abu Basir al-Britani – was last reported to be living in the countryside in Idlib province, north west Syria, in 2018, with a wife and two children. If still alive, he is 35.
Speaking to the Daily Mail in 2015, Mrs Phipps told of her fears he could be killed by an RAF drone strike or Russian bombardment, saying: ‘Lucas is a target. I’m glad he’s associated with Al Qaeda rather than Islamic State, but obviously I worry.
The group Kinney joined in 2013 was an offshoot of Osama bin Laden’s feared Al Qaeda, the Nusra Front. It changed its name to Hayat Tahrir al-Sham
Kinney – who had taken the nom de guerre Abu Basir al-Britani – was last reported to be living in the countryside in Idlib province, north west Syria, in 2018, with a wife and two children. If still alive, he is 35. This image is another still from a propaganda video
‘On Mother’s Day last year I spoke to his father and he told me he thought our son was dead because there was a picture of him on the internet lying on a bed in Syria and you couldn’t tell if he was alive.
‘We found out he had been struck by a mortar so his arm basically was hanging off. He had to have a big operation and said he wouldn’t be able to fight for 18 months.’
She went on: ‘I don’t get anything for months, then an email, and think, “Well, at least he’s still alive”.
“We just want him home. If he’s done something wrong I’d like him to accept the consequences.’
After attending a Catholic primary in Surrey, Kinney lived in Cairo, where his stepfather was working, attending the elite private Modern English School.
He grew his hair long, dyed it red, played electric guitar in a rock band called Hannah’s Got Herpes – and posted pictures of scantily clad girls on Facebook.
Kinney began Middle Eastern Studies with Arabic at Leeds University in 2009 but dropped out after a year.
He went to live with his father in Vienna, and there appears to have been radicalised.
Kinney (pictured left) during his school days in Cairo. He grew his hair long, dyeing it red, and played electric guitar in a series of rock bands
Lucas’s old social media account included a picture of him proudly posing outside a sex shop in Cairo
Mrs Phipps said: ‘I don’t think he became involved in Islam at university. He liked drinking and smoking and girls, all things they can’t do.
‘When Lucas went to Vienna – that was where everything changed.
‘We used to talk on Skype so we could see him – he had a beard and the robes.
‘His father said, “His religion is very important to him”.’
Then Mrs Phipps suddenly heard from her son in Syria, saying of his emails: ‘He kept using koranic phrases and wants everyone to convert. Special Branch has been in touch of course.’
In 2016, Kinney was considering volunteering for a suicide mission, telling a western journalist: ‘My dream is to make martyrdom operation. God willing.’
Two years later however he was reported to still be in Idlib, but with his wife and two children. There were so many Britons there and Jaffa Cakes, Maltesers, Smarties and Rolos were stocked in shops.
Whether they have kept him alive for the victory he sacrificed his life in the west for remains to be seen.
