Mickaël Dos Santos (Jihadi Militant, France)

• Full name: Mickaël Dos Santos
• Pseudonym: Abu Othman, “Yusuf”
• Alternatives: N/a
• Location: Syria, fmr France
• Affiliation: Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant [DaIISh], Mraoui and Assani Network [MAN]

Mickaël Dos Santos (°1992) was a Portuguese-born jihadi from the Champigny-sur-Marne suburb of Paris. He grew up in a stable family and received French citizenship in 2005.¹ Trouble began in 2009 when Dos Santos converted to Islam after having spent time with a Muslim colleague during an apprenticeship.² He began frequenting a Salafi mosque, got acquainted with prayer leader Mustapha Mraoui and quickly radicalized under his influence.³ Dos Santos became Mraoui’s assistant and turned into one of the most fervent fanatics in the preacher’s following.⁴ He disrupted classes at his high school with obnoxious praying and earned a reputation for his proselytizing fervor. Like his associates, Dos Santos became devoted to jihad and took up fitness training in preparation for action.⁵

In August 2013, Dos Santos and most of his companions traveled to Syria and joined the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant [DaIISh; Dawlat al-Islamiya fi-Iraq wal ash-Sham].⁶ He enjoyed life as a jihadi and became very active on social media for some time.⁷ Dos Santos regularly posted pictures of DaIISh atrocities and called upon Muslims in France to launch attacks in the country.⁸ In late 2014, he was wrongly identified as one the men who was shown decapitating captured Syrian soldiers in a video published by the DaIISh.⁹ This was later disputed by himself and experts.¹⁰ At one point, Dos Santos married a woman over the internet, had her come over and fathered two children with her.¹¹

Dos Santos is said to have served as a sniper for the DaIISh until he was reportedly killed in the fall of 2018 during the Battle of Raqqa.¹² His wife allegedly died in aerial bombardments of the city.¹³ Dos Santos’ death was never officially confirmed. A French court sentenced him in absentia to a thirty-year prison term on Dec. 13, 2019.¹⁴