Australian teen dubbed 'Jihadi Jake' reportedly dead in Islamic State suicide mission

AUSTRALIAN authorities are investigating reports that a Melbourne teenager was among a group of Islamic State (IS) suicide bombers.

Jake Bilardi was revealed to be the teenager originally labelled 'Britain's White Jihadi'TWITTER

Jake Bilardi was revealed to be the teenager originally labelled 'Britain's White Jihadi'

Jake Bilardi was among a group of foreign fighters from Australia, Belgium, Syria and Uzbekistan, who struck in Iraq's Anbar province, according to IS propaganda.

A picture posted by the terrorist group appears to show 18-year-old Bilardi sitting behind the wheel of a vehicle.

At least 13 car bombers detonated their explosives almost simultaneously, killing two soldiers and wounding eight, it is claimed.

Australian Foreign Minister Julie Bishop said: "I can confirm that we're seeking to independently verify that he was part of this suicide bombing attack.

"The news appears very grim, but we are seeking to independently verify it."

Ms Bishop would not comment on an unsourced report by the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) that said Bilardi had left a series of homemade bombs in his Melbourne home before leaving for the Middle East. 

ABC reported that Bilardi's family found the devices after he left and alerted authorities, who then began tracking his movements overseas.

Ms Bishop said: "Until such time as I've been briefed by our security and law enforcement agencies, I won't go into those reports."

Police also declined to comment.

A still from an IS propaganda video apparently showing the teenager at the wheel of a suicide vehicleAFP/GETTY

A still from an IS propaganda video apparently showing the teenager at the wheel of a suicide vehicl

I can confirm that we're seeking to independently verify that he was part of this suicide bombing attack

Julie Bishop, Australian Foreign Minister

A blog appearing to belong to Bilardi - which has now been deleted - was discovered by Guardian Australia.

In his final posting, the teenager revealed he had planned to carry out “a string of bombings across Melbourne, targeting foreign consulates and political/military targets as well as grenade and knife attacks on shopping centres and cafes”.

He also said that he wanted to end his life by "detonating a belt of explosives amongst the kuffar".

The blog post read: "My life in Melbourne's working-class suburbs was, despite having its ups and downs just like everyone else, very comfortable. 

"I found myself excelling in my studies, just as my siblings had, and had dreamed of becoming a political journalist. 

"I always dreamed that one day I would travel to countries such as Iraq, Libya and Afghanistan to cover the situations in these lands.

"Being just five-years-old at the time of the attacks on the United States on 11 September 2001, my knowledge of the operation was basically non-existent.

"It was from my investigations into the invasions and occupations of both Iraq and Afghanistan that gave birth to my disdain for the United States and its allies, including Australia.

"It was also the start of my respect for the mujahideen that would only grow to develop into a love of Islam and ultimately bring me here to the Islamic State."

Bilardi originally appeared in propaganda put out by IS (also known as Isil or Isis), in which he was dubbed "Britain's White Jihadi".

But he was later identified as Bilardi by friends and members of two Melbourne mosques.

Described as a quiet youngster but "really bright" student who was especially good at maths, Bilardi is believed not to have come from a Muslim family but converted to Islam.

Islamic State militants parade through the streets of RaqqaAP

Islamic State militants parade through the streets of Raqqa

According to members of the mosques, he had attended both for around a year before he disappeared.

Bilardi - who now calls himself Abdur Raheem or Abu Abdullah - went on to purchase a one-way ticket to Istanbul in Turkey, before he apparently made his way to Syria.

Bilardi's image first appeared on social media in early December, showing a lanky, dark-haired youngster sitting in front of the black flag of IS.

The teenager, then claimed to be British, was seen clutching a rifle and flanked by two militants.

The image was initially posted on Twitter on December 2 but was re-tweeted by user Abu Dawud.

He shared the image with the caption: "Meet Jonathan Edwards applied for UCAS too late and wasn’t accepted in any university, so he joined Islamic State."

Scotland Yard said nobody with the name Jonathan Edwards has been reported missing and others pointed out that the UCAS (the Universities and Colleges Admissions Service) deadline had not actually passed.

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