A new report has emerged that the leader of the Islamic State faction in Somalia, Abdul Qadir Mumin, has a wife and three children living in the United Kingdom, despite his long-standing ties to extremist activities in East Africa.
Mumin, believed to be around 70 years old, lived in Britain between 2003 and 2010, during which he obtained UK citizenship and preached in several London mosques. His radical sermons drew the attention of MI5, prompting an investigation into his activities and alleged efforts to recruit followers for jihadist causes.
Marriage in the UK Before Radical Shift
During his time in Britain, Mumin married a British-Somali woman, Muna Abdule, in what is believed to have been a traditional Islamic ceremony held in 2003. He was 48 years old at the time; she was 19. The couple went on to have three children, one son and two daughters, now aged 20, 18, and 17.
Speaking to the Daily Mail, Mrs Abdule described years of abandonment and hardship after her husband abruptly left the family more than a decade ago.
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“He left me with three children. It’s not been easy for me,” she said. “He didn’t even tell me where he was going. He just came home one day and said he was leaving. He abandoned us. We have not seen or heard from him in more than 10 years.”
Mrs Abdule and her three children now live in a two-bedroom council flat in Slough. She said the family no longer discuss him and have severed all ties.
From UK Resident to IS Leader
After leaving the UK, Mumin resurfaced in Somalia as a senior extremist figure. In 2016, he appeared in a propaganda video burning his British passport and pledging allegiance to the Islamic State. He later defected from the militant group al-Shabaab to lead IS operations in Puntland, northern Somalia.
Security officials believe he is currently hiding in the remote Galgala mountain range, an area known for jihadist activity and difficult terrain that complicates military operations.
Radicalisation Concerns in Britain
Friends and acquaintances in the UK described Mumin as a man who grew increasingly extreme during his years in London.
A family friend, identified only as Deqa, said:
“He wasn’t a good father or husband. He was always in the mosque or out trying to find recruits for the jihadi movement.”
Another acquaintance, Ibrahim, claimed that frequent monitoring by security agencies pushed him into more radical positions.
“Ironically, he became more hard-line when he came to Britain,” he said. “Before that, he was more of a traditionalist preacher.”
Mumin reportedly preached at a London mosque around the same period it was attended by two later-infamous extremists:
There is no evidence suggesting Mumin directly influenced either man, but his presence in such circles has raised further concerns about his activities during his time in the UK.
Mrs Abdule revealed she only met Mumin once after he fled the UK, during a brief visit to Somalia years ago, when he promised he had changed. She said it quickly became clear that this was untrue, and she cut off contact permanently.
Reports indicate Mumin has since taken multiple wives, four in total, although no official documentation exists to confirm this.
For now, Mrs Abdule says her priority is raising her children away from the shadow of their father’s extremist past.
“We don’t talk about him at all. We just try to live our lives,” she said.
