LONDON (Reuters) - The "Jihadi John" masked
fighter who fronted Islamic State beheading
videos is Mohammed Emwazi, a Kuwaiti-born
Briton from a prosperous family who grew up in
London and graduated with a computer
programming degree, according to the
Washington Post.
In videos released by Islamic State (IS), the
black-clad militant brandishing a knife and
speaking with an English accent appears to have
decapitated hostages including Americans,
Britons and Syrians.
The Washington Post said Emwazi, who used the
videos to threaten the West and taunt leaders
such as President Barack Obama and British
Prime Minister David Cameron, was believed to
have travelled to Syria around 2012 and to have
later joined IS.
"His real name, according to friends and others
familiar with his case, is Mohammed Emwazi, a
Briton from a well-to-do family who grew up in
West London and graduated from college with a
degree in computer programming," the Post
said.
In each beheading video, he is dressed entirely
in black, a balaclava covering all but his eyes
and the ridge of his nose. He wears a holster
under his left arm.
Hostages gave him the name John as he and
other IS Britons had been nicknamed the
Beatles. Another was dubbed George.
British government sources and the police
refused to confirm or deny the report, citing a
live anti-terrorism investigation, a position
mirrored by a spokeswoman for Cameron.
"We don't confirm or deny matters relating to
intelligence," the spokeswoman said. "I am not
going to get into the details of an ongoing police
and security investigation."
"We have said since we have seen the awful
actions being taken by these terrorists that we
are absolutely determined to bring the
perpetrators to justice, and the police and the
security agencies have been working hard to do
that, continue to work hard to do that and that
is what we want to see," she said.
JIHADI FROM BRITAIN
Since a video surfaced in August 2014 showing a
masked man raging against the United States
before apparently beheading U.S. citizen James
Foley off camera, "Jihadi John" has been one of
the world's most hunted men.
Intelligence services in Britain and the United
States were ordered to track down the masked
man who became a menacing symbol of the
brutality of IS. Authorities used a variety of
investigative techniques including voice and
facial recognition as well as interviews with
former hostages.
The services had chosen not to disclose his
name for operational reasons.
It was not immediately possible to confirm
whether Emwazi is indeed Jihadi John. There
was no answer at addresses in London where
Emwazi was listed as living.
But the London-based International Centre for
the Study of Radicalisation said it believed the
detailed Washington Post report was accurate.
The Post quoted one of Emwazi’s close friends
as saying: "I have no doubt that Mohammed is
Jihadi John. He was like a brother to me . . . I
am sure it is him."
The Post quoted the friends of Emwazi, who
spoke on condition of anonymity, as saying they
thought he had started to become radicalised
after a planned safari in Tanzania following his
graduation from the University of Westminster
in London.
They said Emwazi and two friends — a German
convert to Islam named Omar and another
man, Abu Talib — never made it to the safari.
On landing in Dar es Salaam, in May 2009, they
were detained by police and held overnight
before eventually being deported, they added.
In a statement, the University of Westminster
said a Mohammed Emwazi had left the college
six years ago. "If these allegations are true, we
are shocked and sickened by the news," a
spokesperson said.
The Post said Emwazi claimed that
representatives from Britain's MI5 security
service had tried to recruit him. He later tried to
move to Kuwait but was detained by counter
terrorism officials in Britain in 2010.
Emwazi was prevented from travelling but
eventually found a way to Syria in 2012, it
added.
posted from Bloggeroid
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