Denis Mamadou Gerhard Cuspert (born 18 October 1975), also known by his stage name Deso Dogg and his nom de guerre Abu Talha al-Almani, is an Afro-German member of the Islamic State and former rapper. Cuspert ended his rap career in 2010, converted to Islam and took the name Abou Maleeq. Cuspert left Germany in 2012 for Egypt and eventually Syria, where he fought with jihadist anti-government forces in the Syrian Civil War, under the nom de guerre of Abu Talha Al-Almani (meaning Abu Talha the German).