A young Saudi has surrendered to the authorities and returned to the Kingdom after spending six months fighting in Syria for the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL), an Al-Qaeda-linked group, sources say.
Sulaiman Al-Subaie, who gained widespread popularity through his entertaining Keek videos, left Saudi Arabia for Syria through Turkey last August to join the ISIL.
Al-Subaie turned himself in to the Saudi authorities in Turkey, his father, Saud, tweeted on Tuesday.
His mother, Norya, also tweeted: “I have met him at the arrivals terminal. May Allah make it easy on him in the days ahead.” his brother, Fahd, said on Tuesday: “Praise Allah, my brother has arrived in his homeland in good health.”
Al-Subaie’s fellow Saudi Keek entertainer Sultan Al-Harthi tweeted early on Tuesday morning: “Happy return!” in reference to Al-Subaie’s arrival in Saudi Arabia. Al-Harthi posted a photo of him and Al-Subaie taken onboard a Turkish flight.
The reasons for his return and abandoning the ISIL have yet to be determined. Many scholars have warned Saudis against joining the fight in Syria with any faction, calling it “the land of fitnah” because Muslims are waging war on each other.
In Syria, Al-Subaie was active on his Twitter account with over 300,000 followers reporting about his daily activities with other fighters and posting photos of dead combatants taken in undisclosed locations in Syria. Other photos of Al-Subaie, apparently with fellow Saudis, seem to have been taken during this winter in Syria. He posted his last tweet on Jan. 22.
His brother, Fahd, said that the family only communicated with him on Twitter while he was in Syria. Al-Subaie only follows 17 other people, including his parents, brother, and a few friends.
Al-Subaie’s return comes in the wake of calls by various people in Saudi Arabia warning youngsters about taking up dubious Jihad causes. On Monday, popular television host Dawood Al-Shirian, for the second time in a month, slammed those calling for Saudis to fight in Syria on his talk show “Eight O’ Clock with Dawood.”
Saudis on social media networks have reacted with caution to Al-Subaie’s return.
Ibjad Al-Nafial said that Al-Subaie would need “serious rehabilitation” because he went with “enthusiasm” to fight in Syria and must have been affected by “Al-Qaeda ideology as seen by his tweets.”
“I hope we don’t see organized campaigns to let him get away with it,” said Wahy Al-Qalam.
“Please enforce the country’s laws in such cases and rehabilitate him. He must have had a good reason to come back. Investigate it,” said Mashhour Salem.
Abdulrahman bin Naser said the Saudi government should increase its counseling sessions for returnees to ensure their “behavioral and psychological wellbeing.”
“Young people can’t just trust anyone who issues a call for Jihad. I’m glad he has come to his senses,” said Khaled Al-Shabaan.