ISIS leader sleeps with suicide vest in fear of being caught alive

Islamic State leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi has been said to wear a suicide vest during his sleep so that he could detonate it in the event that he is captured.

An informant who has contact with ISIS in the city of Mosul has sent messages to Iraqi military intelligence in Baghdad stating that al-Baghdadi "has become intemperate," Reuters reported.

"He has cut down on his movements and neglects his appearance. He lives underground and has tunnels that stretch to different areas. He doesn't sleep without his suicide bomber vest so he can set it off if he's captured," said the informant in a message.

The informant also said that the ISIS leader has been executing informants and defectors regularly and has become suspicious of the people around him.

"Sometimes he used to joke around. But now he no longer does," another message read.

The messages seem to confirm the intelligence acquired by Kurdish officials. The Kurds believe that the operations in Mosul, which began on Oct. 17, has heightened the level of fear and mistrust among ISIS members.

The terror group recently killed 58 people who were suspected of plotting against al-Baghdadi. An ISIS official reportedly discovered the plot in a phone SIM card that had the name of the plotters.

Residents and Iraqi officials have said that ISIS has banned SIM cards and other forms of electronic communication. Those who are caught in violation of the ban are sentenced to death.

The informant in Mosul has been taking the necessary steps to avoid getting caught.

"I am talking to you from the rooftop. The planes are in the skies. Before I go back down I will delete the messages and hide the SIM card," the informant wrote in a message.

Earlier this month, al-Baghdadi sent out a message urging his followers not to retreat from the fight in Mosul. He ordered the militants to "turn the nights of the unbelievers into days, to wreck havoc in their land and make their blood flow as rivers."

It was believed to be the first message from al-Baghdadi in over a year. There has been some speculation that the ISIS leader was severely injured in an air strike on Mosul in March 2015.