ISIS beheads four footballers after declaring 'football' anti-Islamic'

Syria: ISIS militants have beheaded four members of a football team in Syria after they were accused of spying for Kurdish rebels. The footballers, who all played for Al-Shabab, were executed in front of a crowd, which included children, in Raqqa.


ISIS banned organized sports like football when it took over Raqqa in Syria in 2014 with its religious leaders claiming that supporting football was anti-Islamic.

The identity of the victims was released in a series of tweets by campaign group Raqqa is Being Slaughtered Silently, as Osama Abu Kuwait, Ihsan Al Shuwaikh, Nehad Al Hussen and Ahmed Ahawakh.                     

A fifth unknown man was also killed.