Watch CBS News

ISIS hacker behind U.S. military "hit list" believed killed in Syria

The United States is now confident that Junaid Hussein, a Brit who was behind last spring's publication of the "hit list" of American servicemen targeted by the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS), has been killed in a drone strike in Syria, sources tell CBS News national security correspondent David Martin.

Hussein, who is also known as Abu Hussain al-Britani, was number three on the Pentagon's list of most wanted ISIS targets and both he and his wife Sally Jones (aka Umm Hussain al-Britaniya) haven't been seen online for more than a week, reports CBS News' Khaled Wassef.

Pentagon reacts to ISIS "hit list" of U.S. military personnel 02:21

In March, the Pentagon notified service members who appeared on the ISIS "hit list" and bases where they are stationed contacted local law enforcement agencies in an effort to increase police patrols in the neighborhoods where they live.

After being asked by the Pentagon, YouTube took the hit list down from its website, Martin reported at the time.

ISIS urged its followers and sympathizers in the U.S. to kill American service members on the list. They were identified with names, photos and addresses.

Pentagon officials said the list appeared to be drawn from public sources -- everything from newspaper interviews to Facebook pages that connected them, sometimes incorrectly, with the war against ISIS.

View CBS News In
CBS News App Open
Chrome Safari Continue
Be the first to know
Get browser notifications for breaking news, live events, and exclusive reporting.