The Australian Government is checking reports an Australian man has been killed in Syria, believed to be the third Australian death over the past month.
Islamic State images purportedly showing recruits marching in an unknown location. Photo: AFP / Islamic State group's Al-Raqqa site
There have been three unconfirmed reports of Australian Islamic State fighters being killed since mid-October, including the Western Sydney actor turned Islamic State recruiter Mohammad Ali Baryalei.
The ABC reports Baryalei had been accused of masterminding a plot to kill random members of the public in Sydney and Brisbane, and had recruited dozens of Australians to fight with extremist groups in Iraq and Syria.
The 33-year-old from Sydney was the catalyst for September's unprecedented counter-terrorism raids, when more than 800 police raided homes in Sydney and Brisbane and charged four people.
Baryalei is said to have facilitated the recruitment of at least half of the 60 Australians currently fighting in the Middle East.
But authorities said they had no evidence confirming Baryalei's death, and have expressed caution.
The Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade is investigating but said verifying the reports was difficult.
It repeated a warning that consular assistance was no longer available in Syria or Iraq and people should not travel there.