Western media reports identifying "Jihad John"

(Baonghean.vn) - On Thursday, February 26, the BBC and the Washington Post both reported that they had identified the butcher "John-jihad" - "the masked man with a British accent who carried out the executions of Western hostages" over the past time.

Image of “Jihad John” taken from the video of the execution of American journalist James Foley in August 2014. Photo: Internet

According to multiple sources close to the BBC and the Washington Post, “Jihad John” has been identified as Emwazi Mohammed, 26, a British national of Kuwaiti descent who grew up in west London. The Guardian reported that the 26-year-old suspect, a former software developer, had apparently travelled to Syria in 2012 before joining the Islamic State group. The BBC reported that Emwazi had been tracked by Western intelligence agencies after he joined extremist movements in Tanzania. Emwazi is also believed to have had contact with the notorious Shabab terrorist group in Somalia.

“John-jihad” also known as Jalman Al-Britani is the leader of a small group within the IS group called “The Beatles”. He first appeared in the execution of American journalist James Foley in August 2014. And immediately after the execution of journalist James Foley, the Western media named him “John-jihad”. Not stopping there, “John-jihad” continuously appeared in videos of the murder of American hostage Steven Sotloff, British hostages David Haines and Alan Henning, American hostage Peter Kassig and two Japanese hostages: Haru Yakawa, Kenji Goto.

The US and UK authorities have yet to comment on the reports. A Scotland Yard spokesman said “the counter-terrorism investigation is ongoing” and refused to confirm any information about the name reported by the British and US media. Intelligence agencies have been trying to analyze audio recordings for months to identify “Jihad John”. “Jihad John” is arguably the most sought-after person among those who have joined the ranks of IS.

Chu Thanh

According to Le Monde 26/2