The Islamic State jihadist who appeared in videos beheading Western hostages in Syria has been identified as a Kuwaiti-born British citizen, previously known by British security, The Washington Post said in a report on Thursday.
Dubbed by the extremist militant group as “Jihadi John”, the masked executor has been identified as Mohammed Emwazi from west London.
“Emwazi first appeared in a video last August, when he apparently killed the American journalist James Foley,” according to the BBC.
“He was later thought to have been pictured in the videos of the beheadings of US journalist Steven Sotloff, British aid worker David Haines, British taxi driver Alan Henning, and American aid worker Abdul-Rahman Kassig,” the network reported on its website.
According to the Washington Post, Emwazi studied computer programming at the University of Westminister. It said he had probably travelled to Syria in around 2012 before joining the Islamic State.
“I have no doubt that Mohammed is Jihadi John…He was like a brother to me. . . . I am sure it is him,” the WP quoted one of Emwazi’s friends as saying. His claim was supported by a human rights group official who had a connection with Emwazi before the latter travelled to Syria.
