The jihadist who has been shown beheading hostages in numerous ISIS videos has been identified. The terrorist, who had been called “Jihadi John” by authorities, was identified as Mohammed Emwazi, a Kuwait-born Londoner who had been on a watch list in the UK.
The BBC reports the Emwazi is in his mid-20s and moved to the UK in 1994. He attended the University of Westminister and obtained a degree in computer programming.
Emwazi returned to his home country of Kuwait in 2009, and visited London for an intended short stay in 2010. According to reports, Emwazi was prevented from returning to Kuwait; officials denied his visa. In 2013, he tried to return to Kuwait and was stopped a second time. The same year, Emwazi’s parents reported him missing; police informed his family that he had entered Syria, where it is believed he joined ISIS.
The identity of the terrorist was first reported by a unnamed civilian who claimed to be a former friend of Emazi. He or she reportedly said there was “no doubt” Emwazi was the jihadist shown in the videos.
ABC News reports British authorities said the investigation of Emwazi is ongoing and refused to confirm the jihadist’s identity.
A London Metropolitan Police's Counter Terrorism Command spokesman said, "We have previously asked media outlets not to speculate about the details of our investigation on the basis that life is at risk."
"We are not going to confirm the identity of anyone at this stage or give an update on the progress of this live counter- terrorism investigation," he continued.
Publication date: February 26, 2015