Kuwaiti-born Ali Alosaimi, 28, studied at South Tyneside College’s Marine School and lived in a shared flat nearby with a Kuwaiti friend.
Defense experts warned Saturday night that Alosaimi has high-level skills and exhaustive knowledge of the UK’s shipping fleet and his joining of ISIS poses a grave security threat.
Part of the course Alosaimi took is designed specifically for deck officers who are responsible for the safety of the vessel, planning the ship’s passage, loading and discharging cargo, and all communications.
Having taken the course, he acquired an extensive insight into the UK’s maritime capability that would potentially help him become a Daesh (ISIS) commander.
ISIS has already targeted passenger jets and with Alosaimi within its ranks, the Takfiri group might be able to bring terror to the seas by attacking ships and ferries.
“This suddenly raises the specter of IS damaging shipping,” said former Royal Navy chief Admiral Lord West, using another name for the terror group. “Someone with his knowledge opens up a whole new area where terrorism can take place.”
Alosaimi’s personal details were found among a cache of ISIS documents disclosed to The Mail on Sunday.
Documents reveal that before leaving for Syria, Alosaimi lived in South Shields, Tyne and Wear, where he enrolled on a three-year Merchant Navy officer course in 2011
According to the documents, before leaving for Syria, Alosaimi lived in South Shields, Tyne and Wear, where he attended a three-year Merchant Navy officer course in 2011. Previously, he had worked for a state-owned oil tanker company in Kuwait.
If he had pursued his naval career after receiving a Higher National Diploma in nautical science, he could have been cleared, under charter to the Ministry of Defense, to have access to vessels transporting military supplies and other cargoes vital to national security.
Britain, like other European countries, is increasingly concerned about residents —including a growing number of women — travelling to Syria to fight or support the terrorists.
An estimated six million men, women and children are also believed to be living under ISIS in Iraq and Syria.
According to estimates by US military officials, every month some 200 foreigners join the ISIS terrorist group.
ISIS terrorists, who were initially trained by the CIA in Jordan in 2012 to destabilize the Syrian government, now control large parts of Iraq and Syria, where they are engaged in crimes against humanity.
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