The jihadist who sent a threatening message to the West and Egypt in a video showing the beheadings of Egyptian Copts in Libya is half-British, a Libyan website has stated.
The masked Islamic State member shown in the video released last week with a markedly fluent English accent was a British national of a Libyan mother, according to Libya's al-Mostakbal website, which, quoting one IS fighter, noted that the jihadist is wanted by British authorities.
The as yet unidentified speaker moved from Britain to Syria, acquiring training at the group’s camps before transferring to Iraq and, most recently, Libya, an IS member, nicknamed Abo Mosaab al-Tunisy, said.
There have been no official statements from Egypt and Libya on the identity of the captors.
Providing more behind-the-scenes details of the executions, the website added that the captors denied their hostages a last call to their relatives .The website quoted al-Tunisy as saying that the execution was carried out two weeks before the video was released, adding that the movement delayed its release to coincide with the publication of the IS’s online monthly magazine, Dabiq.
