Arriving in Syria in late 2012, he joined the
Syrian Civil War as a
mujahid and became a leader of a unit of ethnic Albanian mujahideen, connected to the
al-Nusra Front. Some 500 ethnic Albanians from the Western Balkans fight for the IS, out of whom 232 are from Kosovo (May 2015). In the IS propaganda film
Clanging of the Swords IV, he is seen alongside other Albanians from Albania, Macedonia, Kosovo, brandishing a sword and then destroying their passports. On 29 July 2014, Muhaxheri uploaded photos to a Facebook page where he is seen beheading an unidentified young man in Syria. In an interview with the Albanian daily "Dita", posted on 2 August 2014, Muhaxheri said that the man was a 19-year-old spy, and that he had acted according to the Quran. On 15 August 2014, Interpol received an international warrant request from Kosovo authorities. On 18 August 2014, Iraqi Kurdish media channel
KNNC reported that Muhaxheri had been killed and published photos allegedly showing his dead body. Muhaxheri's friend denied the claims of his death, Muhaxheri's actions prompted a new law prohibiting the teaching of Wahhabism in Kosovo. On 29 August 2015, an IS propaganda video promoting the new currency was published, in which Muhaxheri is seen handling golden coins (
dinars). Several ethnic Albanian jihadists living in Italy, with connections to Muhaxheri, were arrested by Italian police in November 2015. On 29 December 2015 it was reported that he was in Iraq, according to photographs posted on Twitter. Between 4 and 16 November 2016, eighteen Kosovo Albanians and one Macedonian Albanian were arrested suspected of planning terrorist attacks in Kosovo and Albania. They were coordinated by Muhaxheri and fellow IS fighter
Ridvan Haqifi. According to the prosecution, the terrorist group planned attacks on international and state institutions, ultimately with the intent to establish an Islamic state. They planned to attack the Israeli football team during a match in Albania. == Death ==