It's on a par with, say, Will Young joining UKIP

Some nervousness over in Kuwait where, apparently, pop star Hussein al-Ahmad has quit the industry. Not for him, though, the usual afterlife of the failed popstar - he's not going to make two poorly-received movies, try his hand at writing an autobiography and then booking a comeback tour with Kim Wilde and Bananarama.

Oh, no: he's supposedly joined Al-Qaeda.

The trigger-happy terrorists are delighted, of course, hoping that fans will buy into the concept of jihad in the same way that Britney Spears fans will happily buy her perfume because it's got her picture on it.

They're making a video to celebrate their new signing:

Al-Ahmad's friend, Miftaf Lughzi confirmed this in an interview with the Arabic satellite television channel Al Jazeera.

"I believe that a video has been produced by al-Sahab [the television production arm of al-Qaeda]," said Lughzi.

"He should have given an interview which will be released on the Internet in three months," he said.

In three months? Bloody hell, the Stone Roses could make a video faster than that. Even EMI would suggest that in the digital age, you might look at a slightly faster turn-around between recording and distribution.

Al-Ahmad became famous through a local Pop Idol-style programme, Star Academy, although clearly the offer of a large number of virgins in paradise forever seemed more attractive than the number seventeen slot in the Kuwaiti download chance and the opportunity to have your life shaped by the closest thing Al Rawdatayn has to a Louis Walsh.

It might seem strange to us to exchange a pop career for a life in armed struggle, but who has seen Alex Parks recently?