Top Islamic State figure makes appearance in Ramadi, residents say
BAGHDAD - A top Islamic State figure has made an appearance in the Iraqi city of Ramadi, residents said, and a security expert identified him as "the blind judge" who ranks second in terms of religious authority within the militant group.
Residents of Ramadi said a blind man with one hand, whose head was shrouded, had delivered a speech in the Anbar provincial capital's main mosque after evening prayer on Wednesday.
They did not know who he was, but recognized him to be a senior figure because he was flanked by a large number of guards and said his accent indicated he was Iraqi.
Iraqi security expert Hisham al-Hashimi, who closely tracks the ultra-hardline Islamic State insurgents, identified the man as Ali Attiya al-Jubouri, also known as Abu Asim, or "the blind judge of the Islamic State".
