Sumith Prasad
Paramount+ with Showtime’s documentary ‘The Honey Trap: A True Story of Love, Lies and the FBI’ delves into the emergence of Denis Cuspert as a renowned German rapper known as Deso Dogg. The singer grew up with his mother, Sigrid Cuspert, and stepfather, Benjamin Cuspert. He also shared his growing years with his half-brother, Jermaine Cuspert. Denis eventually bid adieu to his family to leave Germany and be part of several Islamic militant organizations, including the Islamic State, which is known as ISIS or ISIL. While he became a high-profile member of the jihadist group, his family remained in Germany.
Denis Cuspert’s Mother Passed Away a Few Years After His Death
Denis Cuspert left Germany after asking his mother, Sigrid Cuspert, for permission. Even though she didn’t want him to leave her and her country, the former rapper ended up in Syria after several stops in Africa. At the time, she was living in Spandau, a borough of Berlin. Since his departure from Germany, the press and media had tried to interview her concerning the actions and crimes of her son, only for her to refuse to talk to them for years. By the time Denis asked for Sigrid’s permission, as per an interview she gave in 2019, she realized that she couldn’t stop her son from falling into the wrong hands.
In January 2018, Sigrid learned about Denis’ death from the media, only for her to dismiss the same. After coming across incorrect reports about his demise multiple times, she couldn’t believe the latest updates. That was when officers from Germany’s Federal Criminal Police Office arrived at her doorstep and asked her to identify her son after showing a photograph of a man’s corpse. Since the authorities couldn’t obtain DNA samples, a completely convincing identification of the remains was impossible. Still, the officials and Sigrid reached the conclusion that the latter’s first son had died. She then spent months pondering over why and how Denis died as a terrorist and examining her role in the turn of events that ultimately caused his death.
Sigrid passed away in the second half of 2022 at the age of around 70. Her family hasn’t publicized the cause of her death. After her demise, many of her friends recollected their memories with her and celebrated her life by expressing how special she was. The ones who were notably close to her remembered her as a “lovely” and “cheerful” woman who was “always there” for them. Several others didn’t forget to share how they wouldn’t forget her, highlighting the warm presence she had in their lives. Even though Sigrid had to battle guilt and grief in her twilight years, she was indeed surrounded by friends and family members who adored and cared for her.
Denis Cuspert’s Biological Father and Stepfather Didn’t Remain in His Life For Long
Denis Cuspert was born to Richard Luc-Giffard, a Ghanaian national known as Kidson. When he met Sigrid, he worked as a DJ in a discotheque in the Schöneberg region of Berlin on weekends. She described him as “exuberant” and “engaging,” two qualities that fascinated her. Since he was still a Ghanaian, they couldn’t marry before he moved to a reception camp in Zirndorf, a town around 450 kilometers away from Berlin. Even though he eventually returned to Sigrid, they separated soon after Denis was born. Richard was then reportedly deported back to Ghana. Neither the mother nor the son ever met him again.
Sigrid eventually married Benjamin Cuspert, who served as a sergeant in the US Army. They met when Denis was nearly 3 years old. After their wedding, the couple moved to Charlottenburg in Berlin, where they welcomed a son named Jermaine. Denis had a tumultuous relationship with Benjamin, who was described as a “strict disciplinarian” by The New York Times. The rapper’s connection with his stepfather worsened when the US invaded Iraq in 2003. In the same 2019 interview, Sigrid revealed that her son felt unaccepted by her husband as he grew up.
In the 1990s, Sigrid separated from Benjamin. The veteran remained in Berlin and maintained a social media presence till 2013. Since then, barely anything is known about him and his life. In February 2023, one of his army compatriots referred to him as “heavenly brother,” indicating that he must have passed away. However, an obituary confirming his death couldn’t be found. Benjamin’s son, Jermaine, became a rapper like his half-brother, and his stage name is Lil Deso. He collaborated with several artists, such as MM Tav and Drillio. Jermaine also remained connected with Sigrid during her later years.
Denis Cuspert Had Multiple Relationships Before and After Joining ISIS
According to a profile published by The Fader, Denis Cuspert had two children with two different women by 2007. However, he was estranged from both of them. While his son lived with the latter’s mother in London, his daughter stayed with hers in Berlin. After ending up in Syria and following his marriage and subsequent separation from Daniela Greene, he got together with Omaima Abdi. She is a German national of Tunisian descent who moved to Syria with her then-husband, Nader Hadra, and her three children. After Nader was killed, she married Denis and had a fourth child.
Omaima eventually returned to Germany and led an ordinary life in Hamburg with her children, possibly from late 2016. Meanwhile, Jenan Moussa, an acclaimed war reporter, happened to lay her hands on the ISIS member’s phone, which had several contents concerning the latter’s life in Syria. After these materials were published, Omaima was arrested by the German authorities in 2019. She was then sentenced to three years and six months in prison for being a member of a terrorist organization abroad in October 2020. The sentence was extended in July 2021 to four years for aiding and abetting slavery.
During the court proceedings, Omaima admitted that she had two Yazidi slave girls working in her home to clean her living quarters. “I showed the place to the two slave girls and told them which areas they should clean,” she said at the time, as per Deutsche Welle (DW). She also apologized to the two women during the trial. She became a free woman sometime before April 10, 2024. Since then, Omaima has been leading a private life with extremely minimal social media presence. As ‘The Honey Trap’ brings the spotlight once again to Denis, his surviving family members have understandably chosen to remain away from the same to move forward with their lives.
Read More: Fared Saal: Where is the ISIS Member Now?
