:Jihadi John

Emwazi was born Muhammad Jassim Abdulkarim Olayan al-Dhafiri{{cite news |url=http://www.theaustralian.com.au/news/world/spies-were-so-much-on-emwazis-case-they-bought-his-computer/story-fnb64oi6-1227245254489 |title=Spies were so much on Emwazi's case they bought his computer |newspaper=The Australian |date=3 March 2015 |access-date=9 March 2019 |first1=Sean |last1=O'Neill |first2=Hugh |last2=Tomlinson |archive-url=https://archive.today/20170126032836/http://www.theaustralian.com.au/news/world/the-times/spies-were-so-much-on-emwazis-case-they-bought-his-computer/news-story/5d3fac0cbf888da8aeb66999c20cbaa0 |archive-date=26 January 2017 |url-status=live }} on 17 August 1988 in Kuwait as the eldest of five children{{cite news |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/islamic-state/11438747/Mohammed-Emwazi-timeline-from-school-years-with-Tulisa-Contostavlos-to-becoming-Jihadi-John.html |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220112/https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/islamic-state/11438747/Mohammed-Emwazi-timeline-from-school-years-with-Tulisa-Contostavlos-to-becoming-Jihadi-John.html |archive-date=12 January 2022 |url-access=subscription |url-status=live |title=Mohammed Emwazi timeline: from school years with Tulisa Contostavlos to becoming Jihadi John |newspaper=The Telegraph |date=26 February 2015 |last=Malnick |first=Edward |access-date=9 March 2019 |publisher=Telegraph Media Group Limited |page=2}}{{cbignore}} to Jassem and Ghaneyah Emwazi. The family, who were Bidoon of Iraqi origin, lived in the Taima area of the town of Al Jahra, which was known as a "slumtown" where stateless people were ghettoized by the Kuwaiti government. They were undocumented, considered stateless and without Kuwaiti citizenship status.{{cite news |url=https://apnews.com/article/bca03b11857a450b9ba433f0f0482e86 |title='Jihadi John' born into stateless family in Kuwait |date=March 2, 2015 |newspaper=AP News |first=Hussain |last=Al-Qataria }} The family moved to the United Kingdom in 1994 when he was six.{{cite web |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-31641569 |title=Islamic State: Profile of Mohammed Emwazi aka 'Jihadi John' |work=BBC News |date=27 February 2015 |access-date=9 March 2019 |publisher=BBC |first=Dominic |last=Casciani}} They settled in inner west London, moving between several properties in Maida Vale, including subsidised accommodation,{{cite news |last1=Booth |first1=Robert |last2=McVeigh |first2=Karen |title=Former London neighbours' shock at living next door to 'Jihadi John' |url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2015/feb/26/london-neighbours-shock-living-next-door-jahadi-john-mohammed-ewazi |access-date=16 December 2024 |work=The Guardian |date=26 February 2015}} later living in St John's Wood and finally in Queen's Park.{{cite news |url=https://www.thetimes.com/article/pious-teenager-who-turned-into-a-zealot-and-heartless-murderer-pltrjsp89fn |title=Pious teenager who turned into a zealot and heartless murderer |last1=Hamilton |first1=Fiona |first2=Sean |last2=O'Neill |first3=John |last3=Simpson |first4=Duncan |last4=Gardham |newspaper=The Times |date=27 February 2015 |page=2 |url-access=registration |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150822080217/http://www.thetimes.co.uk/tto/news/uk/crime/article4366957.ece |archive-date=22 August 2015 |access-date=9 March 2019 |url-status=live |publisher=Times Newspapers Limited}} Emwazi attended St Mary Magdalene Church of England primary school, and later Quintin Kynaston School.{{cite news |url=https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2015/mar/02/who-is-mohammed-emwazi-from-lovely-boy-to-islamic-state-executioner |title=Who is Mohammed Emwazi? From 'lovely boy' to Islamic State killer |newspaper=The Guardian |date=2 March 2015 |first1=Alexandra |last1=Topping |first2=Josh |last2=Halliday |access-date=9 March 2019 |publisher=Guardian News & Media Limited}} According to his former headteacher, Emwazi experienced some bullying at school.{{cite news|last=Casciani|first=Dominic|title=Islamic State: Profile of Mohammed Emwazi aka 'Jihadi John'|url=https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-31641569|website=BBC|date=13 November 2015}}

In 2006, he went to the University of Westminster, studying Information Systems with Business Management. He secured a lower second-class Bachelor of Science honours degree on graduation three years later. At age 21, he worked as a salesman at an IT company in Kuwait and was considered by his boss as the best employee the company ever had.

At some point{{when|date=January 2024}} he became a British citizen.{{cite news |url=https://apnews.com/general-news-c7d063c00c714b40aa33ebcf333fb12f |title=IS acknowledges death of 'Jihadi John' in magazine |newspaper=AP News |first=Dave |last=Bryan |date=19 January 2016 |quote=Jihadi John had been identified by the U.S. military as Mohammed Emwazi, a Kuwaiti-born British citizen}} After he was granted UK citizenship, he started travelling back to Kuwait, as did his father.

Emwazi was known to MI5 years prior to his sightings in IS execution videos, having initially been suspected of having links to Al-Shabaab, and was repeatedly prevented from travelling back to Kuwait.{{Cite news |date=2015-02-26 |title=Islamic State: Profile of Mohammed Emwazi aka 'Jihadi John' |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-31641569 |access-date=2024-05-28 |work=BBC News |language=en-GB}} The case prompted former British shadow home secretary David Davis to criticise the approach of UK intelligence services, noting "the numbers who appear to have 'slipped through the net{{' "}}.{{Cite news |date=2015-02-28 |title=Mohammed Emwazi: Security approach ineffective, says Davis |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-31673860 |access-date=2024-05-28 |work=BBC News |language=en-GB}}

Emwazi was given the nickname "John" by a group of his hostages. The hostages said that he guarded Western hostages while handling communications with their families, and was part of a terrorist cell they called 'The Beatles' because the cell members all had British accents.{{cite news |url=http://www.smh.com.au/world/how-london-rapper-l-jinny-became-jihadi-john-suspected-of-beheading-james-foley-20140825-107zdz.html |title=How London rapper L Jinny became Jihadi John, suspected of beheading James Foley |newspaper=The Sydney Morning Herald |date=5 August 2014 |access-date=9 March 2019 |first=Megan |last=Levy}} The nickname refers to John Lennon of the Beatles; the three other group members were each given the first name of one of the other Beatles.

The nicknames "Jihadi John", "Jailer John" and "John the Beatle" were created by journalists. "Jihadi John" was used on 20 August 2014 in the conservative magazine The Spectator in a piece titled "Jihadi John – a very British export" by Douglas Murray, a frequent critic of Islam,{{cite journal |url=http://blogs.spectator.co.uk/2014/08/britains-beheaders-how-we-came-to-export-jihad |title=Jihadi John – a very British export |journal=The Spectator |first=Douglas |last=Murray |author-link=Douglas Murray (author) |date=20 August 2014 |access-date=23 December 2015 |archive-date=24 December 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151224111441/http://blogs.spectator.co.uk/2014/08/britains-beheaders-how-we-came-to-export-jihad/ |url-status=dead }} and soon after joined by the BBC and other sources.{{cite news |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/blogs-the-papers-28891342 |title='Jihadi John', fears for Gazza and GCSE 'ghost of Gove' in headlines |work=BBC News |date=22 August 2014 |access-date=23 December 2015 |first=Andy |last=McFarlane |publisher=BBC}}

{{see also|Islamic State beheading incidents}}

The following are reported victims of Jihadi John:

{{main|James Foley (journalist)}}

In a video uploaded to YouTube on 19 August 2014, Foley read a prepared statement criticising the United States, the recent airstrikes in Iraq, and his brother who serves in the US Air Force. Emwazi, wearing a mask, also read a prepared statement in which he criticised the US and President Barack Obama and made demands to cease the 2014 American-led intervention in Iraq. The masked man then beheaded Foley off-camera, after which he threatened to behead Steven Sotloff if his demands were not met.{{cite news |url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/middle-east/steven-sotloff-isis-threatens-second-journalist-after-beheading-of-james-foley-9680129.html |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220608/https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/middle-east/steven-sotloff-isis-threatens-second-journalist-after-beheading-of-james-foley-9680129.html |archive-date=8 June 2022 |url-access=subscription |url-status=live |title=Steven Sotloff: Isis threatens second US journalist after 'beheading' of James Foley |first=Heather |last=Saul |date=20 August 2014 |access-date=25 April 2019 |newspaper=Independent}} The FBI and US National Security Council confirmed that the video, which included footage of Foley's beheaded corpse, was genuine.

{{main|Steven Sotloff}}

On 2 September 2014, a video was released reportedly showing American journalist Steven Sotloff's beheading by Emwazi.{{cite web |last=Lewis |first=Paul |date=2 September 2014 |title=Isis video purports to show execution of US journalist Steven Sotloff |url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2014/sep/02/isis-video-steven-sotloff-beheading |access-date=2 September 2014 |work=The Guardian}} The White House confirmed the video's authenticity.{{cite web|url=http://www.foxnews.com/world/2014/09/03/video-reportedly-shows-beheading-reporter-steven-sotloff-by-isis/|title=White House confirms authenticity of ISIS video showing beheading of reporter|publisher=Fox News Channel|author=Joshua Rhett Miller/AP|date=3 September 2014|access-date=3 September 2014}}

{{main|David Haines (aid worker)}}

On 13 September 2014, a video, directed at British Prime Minister David Cameron, was released, showing British hostage aid worker David Haines being beheaded by Emwazi.{{cite news |url=http://www.cnn.com/2014/09/13/world/meast/isis-haines-family-message/index.html?hpt=hp_t1 |title=ISIS executes British aid worker David Haines; Cameron vows justice |work=CNN|date=13 September 2014}}

{{main|Alan Henning}}

On 3 October 2014, a video released by IS showed Emwazi beheading British aid worker Alan Henning.{{cite news |url=https://www.buzzfeednews.com/article/ellievhall/new-isis-video-appears-to-show-execution-of-british-aid-work |title=New ISIS Video Appears To Show Execution Of British Aid Worker |first1=Ellie |last1=Hall |first2=Miriam |last2=Elder |date=3 October 2014 |access-date=25 April 2019 |work=BuzzFeed News |publisher=BuzzFeed}} Henning, a taxi driver from Salford, Greater Manchester, had volunteered to deliver aid to Syria.{{cite news |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-29238385 |title=Alan Henning: Syria trips were worthwhile, says hostage |first=Catrin |last=Nye |date=18 September 2014 |access-date=25 April 2019 |work=BBC News |publisher=BBC}} He was kidnapped in Al-Dana, an area held then by IS, on 27 December 2013.{{cite news|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-29486118|title=World reacts to IS video showing apparent killing of Alan Henning|date=4 October 2014|work=BBC News|access-date=4 October 2014}}{{cite news|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-29199086|title=Alan Henning: An ordinary man who wanted to help Syrians|date=3 October 2014|work=BBC News|last1=Nye|first1=Catrin}}

{{Main|Peter Kassig}}

On 16 November 2014 a video was posted by IS of Emwazi standing over a severed head, which the White House confirmed was that of Peter Kassig.{{cite web |last=Hjelmgaard |first=Kim |date=16 November 2014 |title=U.S. review of Islamic State video confirms American's death |url=https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/world/2014/11/16/peter-kassig-islamic-state-claims-beheading-syria/19128067 |work=USA Today}} Kassig's actual beheading was not shown, and unlike earlier hostage beheading videos he did not make a statement.{{cite news |url=https://time.com/3589350/peter-kassigs-powerful-silence-before-isis-beheaded-him/ |title=Peter Kassig's Powerful Silence Before ISIS Beheaded Him |first=Mark |last=Thompson |date=17 November 2014 |access-date=25 April 2019 |magazine=TIME}} There has been speculation that, faced with the prospect of being beheaded, he may have resisted and been shot dead: a senior surgeon performed a detailed examination of the video and saw possible evidence of a gunshot wound.{{cite news |last=Freeman |first=Colin |date=14 December 2014 |title=Peter Kassig 'killed by gunshot before he was decapitated' |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/islamic-state/11293023/Peter-Kassig-killed-by-gunshot-before-he-was-decapitated.html |url-access=subscription |url-status=live |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220112/https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/islamic-state/11293023/Peter-Kassig-killed-by-gunshot-before-he-was-decapitated.html |archive-date=12 January 2022 |work=The Telegraph}}{{cbignore}}{{cite news |last=Sabin |first=Lamiat |date=15 December 2014 |title=Abdul Rahman Peter Kassig 'died from gunshot rather than decapitation,' suggest researchers |url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/middle-east/abdul-rahman-peter-kassig-died-from-gunshot-wound-rather-than-decapitation-say-researchers-9925845.html |url-access=subscription |url-status=live |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220608/https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/middle-east/abdul-rahman-peter-kassig-died-from-gunshot-wound-rather-than-decapitation-say-researchers-9925845.html |archive-date=8 June 2022 |work=The Independent}}

The video that ended with a shot of Kassig's severed head showed the beheadings of a number of Syrian soldiers in gruesome detail, by a group led by a masked Emwazi. It was said by the BBC that, unlike previous videos, this one shows the faces of many of the militants, indicates the location as being Dabiq in Aleppo Province, and that this video "revels in gore." Unlike previous videos that cut away without showing the killing, Emwazi is shown beheading a victim.{{cite news|url=https://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-30073602|title=Abdul-Rahman Kassig: US hostage 'killed by IS'|date=16 November 2014|work=BBC News}} Initially, the number killed was variously reported as at least 12,{{cite news |url=http://www.aljazeera.com/news/middleeast/2014/11/isil-beheads-syrians-us-aid-worker-2014111683932604856.html |title=ISIL beheads Syria troops and US aid worker |work=Al Jazeera |date=17 November 2014}} or 18. Subsequent analysis by the Terrorism Research & Analysis Consortium and UK-based counter-extremism think tank Quilliam concluded that 22 captive soldiers were executed.{{cite news |last=Shubert |first=Atika |date=8 December 2014 |title=ISIS's brutal beheading video: Search for clues |url=https://edition.cnn.com/interactive/2014/12/world/isis-syria-video-analysis/ |work=CNN}}{{cite magazine |last=Bajekal |first=Naina |date=10 December 2014 |title=ISIS Mass Beheading Video Took 6 Hours to Film and Multiple Takes |url=https://time.com/3624976/isis-beheading-technology-video-trac-quilliam/ |magazine=TIME}}

{{main|Kenji Goto}}

Haruna Yukawa, age 42, was captured sometime before August 2014.{{cite news |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/middleeast/syria/11040770/Japanese-man-feared-kidnapped-by-Islamic-State-in-Syria.html |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220112/https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/middleeast/syria/11040770/Japanese-man-feared-kidnapped-by-Islamic-State-in-Syria.html |archive-date=12 January 2022 |url-access=subscription |url-status=live |title=Japanese man feared kidnapped by Islamic State in Syria |first=Julian |last=Ryall |date=18 August 2014 |access-date=9 October 2018 |newspaper=Telegraph |publisher=Telegraph Media Group Limited}}{{cbignore}} Kenji Goto, age 47, was captured sometime in October 2014 while trying to rescue Yukawa.{{cite news |url=https://time.com/3676543/isis-japanese-hostages/ |title=Japanese War Reporter Was Abducted by ISIS After Trying to Save His Friend |first=Naina |last=Bajekal |date=21 January 2015 |access-date=9 October 2018 |magazine=TIME }} In January 2015, a threat was issued that they would be killed unless the Japanese government paid a ransom of {{currency|200 million|USD|passthrough=yes}}.{{cite news |last=Baker |first=Luke |date=20 January 2015 |title=Islamic State threatens two Japanese captives in video |url=https://www.reuters.com/article/us-mideast-crisis-islamicstate-japan-idUSKBN0KT0GI20150120 |work=Reuters}} Yukawa was beheaded on 24 January, and Goto on 31 January 2015.{{cite news |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-31252341 |title=Islamic State crisis: Jordan air strikes 'destroy' IS hideouts |work=BBC News |date=8 February 2015}}

Officially the FBI and US National Security Council confirmed that the James Foley video, which ended with footage of a beheaded corpse, was genuine. David Cameron and the British Foreign Office also confirmed the authenticity of the video showing the death of David Haines.{{cite news|url=http://www.cbc.ca/news/world/david-haines-beheading-british-pm-vows-to-hunt-down-those-responsible-1.2765792|title=David Haines beheading: British PM vows to 'hunt down those responsible'|publisher=Canadian Broadcasting Corporation|agency=The Associated Press|date=14 September 2014}}

An unnamed forensics expert commissioned by The Times to look at the James Foley video said, "I think it has been staged. My feeling is that the murder may have happened after the camera was stopped." The Times concluded that "No one is questioning that the photojournalist James Foley was beheaded, but camera trickery and slick post-production techniques appear to have been used."{{cite web|last=Haynes|first=Deborah|author-link=Deborah Haynes|date=25 August 2014|title=Foley video with Briton was staged, experts say|url=https://www.thetimes.com/article/foley-video-with-briton-was-staged-experts-say-qgdr9mcq3lf|url-access=subscription|url-status=live|archive-url=https://archive.today/20140828040500/http://failover-www.thetimes.co.uk/tto/news/uk/article4186089.html|archive-date=28 August 2014|access-date=27 August 2014|work=The Times}} Two unnamed video specialists in the International Business Times of Australia claimed that portions of the video appeared to be staged and edited.{{cite news |last=Yenko |first=Athena |date=23 August 2014 |title=James Foley Beheading Video Has Play-Acting Portions – Video Experts Say |url=http://au.ibtimes.com/articles/563629/20140822/james-foley-beheading-video.htm#.U_fkW7GTDK3 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140822144616/http://au.ibtimes.com/articles/563629/20140822/james-foley-beheading-video.htm |archive-date=22 August 2014 |access-date=23 August 2014 |publisher=International Business Times of Australia}} James Alvarez, a British-American hostage negotiator, also claimed the James Foley video was "expertly staged", with the use of two separate cameras and a clip-on microphone attached to Foley's orange jumpsuit. Jeff Smith, associate director of the CU Denver National Center for Media Forensics in the US, said "What's most interesting is that the actual beheading that takes place in the videos, both of them are staged."{{cite web|url=http://denver.cbslocal.com/2014/09/03/media-forensics-experts-analyzing-isis-video/|title=Media Forensics Experts Analyzing ISIS Video in Denver|date=3 September 2014|access-date=15 September 2014}}

British analyst Eliot Higgins (Brown Moses) published photographic and video forensic evidence suggesting that the James Foley video was taken at a spot in the hills south of the Syrian city of Raqqa.{{cite web|url=http://www.france24.com/fr/20140824-irak-ei-execution-james-foley-jihadi-john-enquete-mi5-mi6-localisation-etat-islamique-raqqa|title=France 24: Exécution de James Foley: la traque de 'Jihadi John' est lancée|date=24 August 2014|publisher=France 24|access-date=11 September 2014}}{{cite web |last=Higgins |first=Eliot |date=23 August 2014 |title=Bellingcat: The Hills of Raqqa – Geolocating the James Foley Video |url=https://bellingcat.com/resources/case-studies/2014/08/23/the-hills-of-raqqa-geolocating-the-james-foley-video/ |access-date=11 September 2014}}{{cite web|url=https://edition.cnn.com/videos/bestoftv/2014/08/25/exp-erin-sciutto-where-was-foley-killed.cnn|title=Is this where James Foley was killed?|work=CNN|date=26 August 2014 |access-date=11 September 2014}}

{{see also|The Beatles (terrorist cell)}}

{{see also|United Kingdom and the Islamic State|Abdel-Majed Abdel Bary}}

"Jihadi John" became the subject of a manhunt by the FBI, MI5, and Scotland Yard.{{cite news|last1=Sparrow|first1=Andrew|title=PM returns from holiday after video shows US reporter beheaded by Briton|url=https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2014/aug/20/isis-fighter-beheaded-us-journalist-james-foley-appears-british-hammond|access-date=20 August 2014|work=The Guardian|date=20 August 2014}}{{cite web|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1fPYZwHmXzI|title=Uncovering James Foley's killer|work=The National|date=21 August 2014|access-date=22 August 2014}} In his videos, "Jihadi John" concealed his identity by covering himself from head to toe in black, except for tan desert boots, with a mask that left only his eyes visible. Despite this, several facts about "Jihadi John" could be ascertained from both videos. He spoke with an apparent London or southern England accent.{{cite web |author1=Allen |first=Nick |author2=Sherwell |first2=Philip |date=20 August 2014 |title=Hunt for 'British' Islamic State killer of US journalist James Foley |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/middleeast/iraq/11044977/Hunt-for-British-Islamic-State-killer-of-US-journalist-James-Foley.html |url-access=subscription |url-status=live |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220112/https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/middleeast/iraq/11044977/Hunt-for-British-Islamic-State-killer-of-US-journalist-James-Foley.html |archive-date=12 January 2022 |access-date=20 August 2014 |work=The Daily Telegraph}}{{cbignore}} In both videos, he was seen to sport a pistol in a leather shoulder holster under his left shoulder, typical of right-handed people,{{cite web |author1=Rayner |first=Gordon |author2=Beach |first2=Alastair |author3=Evans |first3=Martin |author4=Sherwell |first4=Philip |date=20 August 2014 |title=Hunt is on for ISIS terrorist: Video yields clues to identity of American journalist's left-handed executioner |url=http://news.nationalpost.com/2014/08/20/hunt-is-on-for-isis-terrorist-video-yields-clues-to-identity-of-american-journalists-left-handed-executioner |access-date=3 September 2014 |work=National Post}} but his actions in the videos suggest he is left-handed.{{cite web|url=http://www.foxnews.com/world/2014/09/03/video-reportedly-shows-beheading-reporter-steven-sotloff-by-isis/?pid=tradedesk01&aid=tradedesk01&cid=0511td300x250&c=tradedesk01cont1&w=300&h=250&plc=tr\%22|title=White House confirms authenticity of ISIS video showing beheading of reporter|publisher=Fox News Channel|author=Joshua Rhett Miller|date=3 September 2014|access-date=3 September 2014}}

Other factors that could have led to his identification were his height, general physique, the pattern of veins on the back of his hands, his voice and clothes. A team of analysts might use the topography of the landscape in the video in an attempt to identify the location.{{cite web|last=Rayner|first=Gordon|url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/middleeast/iraq/11047420/Video-clues-that-could-unmask-James-Foleys-murderer.html |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220112/https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/middleeast/iraq/11047420/Video-clues-that-could-unmask-James-Foleys-murderer.html |archive-date=12 January 2022 |url-access=subscription |url-status=live|title=Video clues that could unmask James Foley's murderer|work=The Daily Telegraph|date=20 August 2014|access-date=24 August 2014}}{{cbignore}} On 24 August 2014, the British Ambassador to the United States, Sir Peter Westmacott, said that Britain was very close to identifying "Jihadi John" using sophisticated voice recognition technology,{{cite web|last=Sherwell|first=Philip|url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/middleeast/syria/11053836/Britain-very-close-to-identifying-Jihadi-John-suspected-killer-of-James-Foley-says-ambassador.html |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220112/https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/middleeast/syria/11053836/Britain-very-close-to-identifying-Jihadi-John-suspected-killer-of-James-Foley-says-ambassador.html |archive-date=12 January 2022 |url-access=subscription |url-status=live|title=Britain 'very close' to identifying 'Jihadi John' – suspected killer of James Foley – says ambassador|work=The Daily Telegraph|date=24 August 2014|access-date=24 August 2014}}{{cbignore}} but when pressed, refused to disclose any other details.{{cite news|last=Almasy|first=Steve|url=http://www.cnn.com/2014/08/24/world/meast/isis-james-foley/index.html|title=Britain close to identifying James Foley's killer, ambassador says|work=CNN|date=26 August 2014|access-date=26 August 2014}}

On 20 September 2014, the United States Senate approved a {{currency|10 million|USD|passthrough=yes}} reward for information that led to the capture of anyone involved in the murders of James Foley, Steven Sotloff and David Cawthorne Haines.{{cite news |date=20 September 2014 |title=US Senate Approves $10m Bounty for James Foley and Steven Sotloff ISIS Killers |url=http://www.ibtimes.co.uk/us-senate-approves-10m-bounty-james-foley-steven-sotloff-isis-killers-1466423 |access-date=22 September 2014 |work=International Business Times}} On 20 November, the bill, extending the potential scope of the reward program to any American kidnapped and murdered by a "foreign terrorist organization" and limiting the reward to a maximum of {{currency|5 million|USD|passthrough=yes}}, was referred to the United States House Committee on Foreign Affairs.{{Cite web |url=http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/bdquery/z?d113:h.r.05752: |title="Bill Summary & Status 113th Congress (2013–2014) H.R.5752", Library of Congress |access-date=12 March 2015 |archive-date=4 February 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160204233737/http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/bdquery/z?d113:h.r.05752: |url-status=dead }}

On 14 September British Prime Minister David Cameron confirmed that the identity of "Jihadi John" was known but had yet to be revealed.{{cite news|title=The British connection to ISIS beheadings|url=http://www.cnn.com/2014/09/14/opinion/bergen-british-connection-isis-beheadings/index.html?hpt=hp_t1|date=14 September 2014|access-date=14 September 2014|work=CNN}}

On 25 September, FBI Director James Comey told reporters that they had identified the suspect, but did not give information regarding the man's identity or nationality.{{cite news|last1=Crompton|first1=Paul|title=FBI: U.S. identifies ISIS hostage executioner|url=http://english.alarabiya.net/en/News/middle-east/2014/09/25/U-S-identifies-ISIS-hostage-executioner.html|access-date=26 September 2014|publisher=Al Arabiya|date=26 September 2014}} "I believe that we have identified him. I'm not going to tell you who I believe it is," Comey stated.{{cite news|last1=Winter|first1=Michael|title=FBI chief: ISIS militant in beheading videos identified|url=https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2014/09/25/fbi-islamic-state-beheadings/16212521/|access-date=26 September 2014|work=USA Today|date=25 September 2014}} Michael Ryan, an author and scholar from the Middle East Institute speculated, "maybe 98 percent or 95 percent sure is not sure enough to put a man's name out."

In August 2014, The Sunday Times reported that Abdel-Majed Abdel Bary ("L Jinny"), 23, a hip-hop musician from West London, had "emerged as a key suspect" in the investigation.{{Cite web |last=Kerbaj |first=Richard |author-link=Richard Kerbaj |last2=Woolf |first2=Marie |last3=Harley |first3=Nicky |date=2014-08-27 |title=London hip-hop artist key suspect in beheading |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140827180629/http://www.thesundaytimes.co.uk/sto/news/uk_news/article1450781.ece |access-date=2025-05-11 |website=The Sunday Times}}{{cite web|url=https://www.standard.co.uk/news/crime/london-rapper-abdelmajed-abdel-bary-investigated-as-police-hunt-for-jihadi-john-9687547.html|title=London rapper Abdel-Majed Abdel Bary investigated as police hunt for 'Jihadi John'|work=London Evening Standard|date=23 August 2014|access-date=24 August 2014}} Other sources also stated that Abu Hussain Al-Britani, 20, a computer hacker from Birmingham, and Abu Abdullah al-Britani, in his 20s from Portsmouth, were suspects.{{cite news |url=http://www.news.com.au/world/london-hiphop-artist-abdelmajed-abdel-bary-key-suspect-in-hunt-for-killer-of-american-journalist-james-foley/story-fndir2ev-1227034541900 |title=London hip-hop artist Abdel-Majed Abdel Bary key suspect in hunt for killer of American journalist James Foley |publisher=News.com.au |date=25 August 2014 |access-date=24 August 2014 |archive-date=28 January 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150128071101/http://www.news.com.au/world/london-hiphop-artist-abdelmajed-abdel-bary-key-suspect-in-hunt-for-killer-of-american-journalist-james-foley/story-fndir2ev-1227034541900 |url-status=dead }}

On 26 February 2015, The Washington Post identified the perpetrator as Mohammed Emwazi, a British man then in his mid-20s who was born in Kuwait and grew up in west London.{{cite news |last=Mekhennet |first=Souad |last2=Goldman |first2=Adam |date=26 February 2015 |title='Jihadi John': The Islamic State killer behind the mask is a young Londoner |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/national-security/jihadi-john-the-islamic-state-killer-behind-the-mask-is-a-young-londoner/2015/02/25/d6dbab16-bc43-11e4-bdfa-b8e8f594e6ee_story.html |newspaper=The Washington Post}}{{cite news |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-31637090 |title='Jihadi John' named as Mohammed Emwazi from London |work=BBC News |date=26 February 2015}}{{cite news |last=Erlanger |first=Steven |date=26 February 2015 |title='Jihadi John' From ISIS Execution Videos Was Under Watch by British Intelligence |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2015/02/27/world/europe/british-intelligence-services-had-early-encounter-with-man-identified-as-isis-fighter.html |work=The New York Times}} The Washington Post investigation was undertaken by Souad Mekhennet and Adam Goldman.

According to his student card from the University of Westminster, Emwazi was born on 17 August 1988.

The BBC stated that Emwazi is believed to be "an associate of a former UK control order suspect ... who travelled to Somalia in 2006 and is allegedly linked to a facilitation and funding network for Somali militant group al-Shabab."{{Cite news |date=2015-02-26 |title=Islamic State: Profile of Mohammed Emwazi aka 'Jihadi John' |language=en-GB |work=BBC News |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-31641569 |access-date=2023-01-24}} He reportedly prayed on occasion at a mosque in Greenwich. He graduated with a degree in Information Systems with Business Management from the University of Westminster in 2009. His last known UK address was in Queen's Park, North London.

The Post reported interviews with Emwazi's friends indicating that Emwazi was radicalised after a planned safari to Tanzania following his graduation. According to the interviews, Emwazi and two friends, a German convert to Islam named Omar and another man, Abu Talib, never made the safari. Rather, upon landing in Dar es Salaam in May 2009, the three were detained, held overnight by police, and eventually deported. In May 2010, The Independent reported on the episode, identifying Emwazi as Muhammad ibn Muazzam. According to e-mails sent by Emwazi to Asim Qureshi, the research director of the human rights group Cage, and that were provided to the Post, after leaving Tanzania, Emwazi flew to Amsterdam, where he claimed that an MI5 officer accused him of attempting to go to Somalia, where al-Shabab operates. Emwazi denied attempting to reach Somalia, but a former hostage told the Post that "Jihadi John was obsessed with Somalia" and forced captives to watch videos about al-Shabab. Tanzanian officials have denied that they detained and deported Emwazi at the request of MI5, saying instead that he had been refused entry for being drunk and abusive.{{cite news |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-31785820 |title=Mohammed Emwazi: Tanzanian officer recalls airport arrest |work=BBC News |date=8 March 2015}}

Later, Emwazi and his friends were permitted to return to Britain, where Emwazi met with Qureshi in late 2009. The Post quoted Qureshi as saying that Emwazi was "incensed" at the way he had been treated. Emwazi moved to Kuwait shortly afterward, where (according to emails he wrote to Qureshi), he worked for a computer company. Emwazi returned to London twice, however, and, on the second visit, he made plans to wed a woman in Kuwait.

In June 2010, Emwazi was detained by counter-terrorism officials in Britain, who searched and fingerprinted him, and blocked him from returning to Kuwait. In an email four months later to Qureshi, Emwazi expressed sympathy for Aafia Siddiqui who had just been sentenced in US federal court for assault and attempted murder. Qureshi said he last heard from Emwazi when Emwazi sought advice from him in January 2012. Close friends of Emwazi interviewed by the Post said that he was "desperate to leave the country" and one friend stated that Emwazi unsuccessfully tried to travel to Saudi Arabia to teach English in 2012. Sometime after January 2012, Emwazi travelled to Syria, where he apparently contacted his family and at least one of his friends.

In March 2015, the media reported that his mother had recognised Jihadi John's voice as her son's;{{cite news |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-31700907 |title=Mother recognised Mohammed Emwazi's voice on hostage videos |work=BBC News |date=2 March 2015}} meanwhile, his father denied that this had happened or that Emwazi was Jihadi John.{{cite news |url=https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2015/mar/04/mohammed-emwazi-father-proof-son-isis-executioner |title=Mohammed Emwazi's father: no proof my son is Isis executioner |work=The Guardian |date=4 March 2015}}

United States President Barack Obama condemned the actions of "Jihadi John" and vowed punishment for all the militants responsible for the videotaped beheadings.{{cite news |last=Davis |first=Julie |date=3 September 2014 |title=After Beheading of Steven Sotloff, Obama Pledges to Punish ISIS |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2014/09/04/world/middleeast/steven-sotloff-isis-execution.html |work=The New York Times}} US Secretary of State John Kerry also called "Jihadi John" a "coward behind a mask" and, echoing Obama, stated that all those responsible would be held accountable by the United States. British officials have also reiterated their commitment to capturing "Jihadi John". Admiral Alan West, a former UK Minister for Security and Counter-terrorism, said that he is a "dead man walking" who will be "hunted down" like Osama bin Laden.{{cite web |last=Whitehead |first=Tom |date=3 September 2014 |title=Jihadi John is 'dead man walking', says former security minister |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/terrorism-in-the-uk/11073733/Jihadi-John-is-dead-man-walking-says-former-security-minister.html |url-access=subscription |url-status=live |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220112/https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/terrorism-in-the-uk/11073733/Jihadi-John-is-dead-man-walking-says-former-security-minister.html |archive-date=12 January 2022 |access-date=11 September 2014 |work=The Daily Telegraph}}{{cbignore}} Prime Minister David Cameron also stated that he was absolutely certain that Jihadi John would "one way or another, face justice", and he also condemned the actions of "Jihadi John".{{cite news |last=Dominiczak |first=Peter |date=4 September 2014 |title=David Cameron 'absolutely certain Jihadi John will be caught' |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/terrorism-in-the-uk/11074342/David-Cameron-absolutely-certain-Jihadi-John-will-be-caught.html |url-access=subscription |url-status=live |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220112/https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/terrorism-in-the-uk/11074342/David-Cameron-absolutely-certain-Jihadi-John-will-be-caught.html |archive-date=12 January 2022 |access-date=11 September 2014 |work=The Daily Telegraph}}{{cbignore}}{{cite news|url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2014/oct/04/alan-henning-hostage-killing-harsh-price-isis-syria|title=Alan Henning murder: David Cameron vows to defeat ISIS|date=4 October 2014|work=The Guardian|access-date=7 October 2014|last=Johnson|first=Chris}} UK Justice Secretary Chris Grayling, and Secretary General of Interpol Ronald Noble also stated that Jihadi John should be brought to justice.{{cite news|first1=Tom|last1=Whitehead|title=Jihadi John known to MI5 but may never be brought to justice|url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/terrorism-in-the-uk/11097837/Jihadi-John-known-to-MI5-but-may-never-be-brought-to-justice.html |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220112/https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/terrorism-in-the-uk/11097837/Jihadi-John-known-to-MI5-but-may-never-be-brought-to-justice.html |archive-date=12 January 2022 |url-access=subscription |url-status=live|work=The Daily Telegraph|access-date=19 September 2014|date=16 September 2014}}{{cbignore}}

Reacting to the naming of Emwazi by the media, a representative for the Sotloff family told the BBC that they would wish to see Emwazi imprisoned.{{cite news|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-31646971|title=Sotloff family want 'Jihadi John' jailed|work=BBC News|access-date=26 February 2015}} Bethany Haines, daughter of David, said "It's a good step but I think all the families will feel closure and relief once there's a bullet between his eyes."{{cite news|title=Mohammed Emwazi: We won't get closure until there's a bullet between his eyes, says widow of aid worker David Haines|url=https://www.standard.co.uk/news/crime/david-haines-daughter-we-wont-get-closure-until-bullet-between-jihadi-johns-eyes-10073559.html|access-date=1 March 2015|work=London Evening Standard|date=27 February 2015}}

Lord Carlile, a former independent reviewer of UK anti-terror laws, said, "Had control orders been in place, in my view there is a realistic prospect that Mohammed Emwazi, and at least two of his associates, would have been the subject of control orders with a compulsory relocation."{{cite news |last=Sommers |first=Jack |date=1 March 2015 |title=Jihadi John, UK ISIS Murderer, 'Emailed Mail on Sunday Journalist About Security Services' |url=http://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/2015/03/01/jihadi-john-isis-emails_n_6777826.html |work=The Huffington Post}}

In reaction to the revelation, Emwazi's father, Jassem, has said that he is ashamed of his son. Previously, when he learned from his son that he was going to Syria "for jihad", Jassem had told him that he hoped he would be killed.{{cite news |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/islamic-state/11446598/Jihadi-John-Father-accuses-Mohammed-Emwazi-of-being-a-dog-and-terrorist.html |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220112/https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/islamic-state/11446598/Jihadi-John-Father-accuses-Mohammed-Emwazi-of-being-a-dog-and-terrorist.html |archive-date=12 January 2022 |url-access=subscription |url-status=live |title=Jihadi John: Father accuses Mohammed Emwazi of being a 'dog' and 'terrorist' |work=The Telegraph |date=3 March 2015}}{{cbignore}} But the day after the naming he issued a statement denying that his son was Jihadi John. An unidentified cousin issued a statement which said, "We hate him. We hope he will be killed soon. This will be good news for our family."{{cite news |url=http://www.arabtimesonline.com/NewsDetails/tabid/96/smid/414/ArticleID/213687/reftab/36/t/Security-probes-links-to-Emwazi/Default.aspx |title=Security probes links to Emwazi |work=Arab Times |date=3 March 2015}}

On 8 March 2015, according to The Sunday Times, Emwazi apologised for "problems and trouble the revelation of his identity has caused" his family, but he expressed no remorse for his victims. The message was conveyed via an unspecified third party.{{cite web |url=https://www.jpost.com/middle-east/jihadi-john-apologizes-to-family-but-not-for-beheadings-393325 |title='Jihadi John' apologizes to family, but not for beheadings |work=The Jerusalem Post |date=8 March 2015 |access-date=2024-03-04}}

On 12 November 2015, two United States drone aircraft along with a British drone conducted an airstrike in Raqqa. The target was Emwazi. The strike was timed while he was leaving a building and entering a vehicle.{{cite news|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-34805924|title=Jihadi John: US air strike 'targets Mohammed Emwazi in Syria'|work=BBC News|date=13 November 2015|access-date=13 November 2015}}{{cite web|title=U.S. Airstrike Targets Notorious ISIS Militant 'Jihadi John'|url=http://www.foxnews.com/world/2015/11/13/us-airstrike-targets-notorious-isis-militant-jihadi-john/?intcmp=hpbt1|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151113190107/http://www.foxnews.com/world/2015/11/13/us-airstrike-targets-notorious-isis-militant-jihadi-john/?intcmp=hpbt1|url-status=dead|archive-date=13 November 2015|work=Fox News Channel|access-date=13 November 2015}} A US official called it a "flawless" and "clean hit" with no collateral damage and that Emwazi was "evaporated." US officials stated he had been killed,{{cite news |last=Ross |first=Brian |date=12 November 2015 |title='Jihadi John' Believed Killed in US Drone Strike, US Officials Say |url=https://abcnews.go.com/International/jihadi-john-believed-killed-us-drone-strike/story?id=35170345 |access-date=13 November 2015 |work=ABC News}} and a senior US military official was quoted as saying, "we are 99% sure we got him." On 14 December 2015, US President Barack Obama stated Emwazi had been "taken out".{{cite web|url=https://obamawhitehouse.archives.gov/the-press-office/2015/12/14/remarks-president-military-campaign-destroy-isil |title=Remarks by the President on the Military Campaign to Destroy ISIL |date=14 December 2015 |via=National Archives |work=whitehouse.gov |access-date=15 December 2015}}

UK Prime Minister, David Cameron, stated the UK and the US had been working "hand in glove, round the clock" to track Emwazi's location, and that the drone strike was "an act of self-defence."{{cite news|last1=Chan|first1=Sewell|last2=De Freytas-Tamura|first2=Kimiko|title=Pentagon Says 'Jihadi John' Was Probably Killed in Airstrike|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2015/11/14/world/europe/jihadi-john-mohammed-emwazi-david-cameron-statement.html?_r=0|access-date=14 November 2015|work=The New York Times|date=13 November 2015}}

On 19 January 2016, in the IS magazine Dabiq, the Islamic State confirmed that Emwazi had been killed by a drone strike in Raqqa.{{Cite web |url=https://azelin.files.wordpress.com/2016/01/the-islamic-state-e2809cdacc84biq-magazine-13e280b3.pdf |title=Archived copy |access-date=17 February 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171126152600/https://azelin.files.wordpress.com/2016/01/the-islamic-state-e2809cdacc84biq-magazine-13e280b3.pdf |archive-date=26 November 2017 |url-status=dead }} The obituary showed him unmasked and referred to him as Abu Muharib al-Muhajir.{{Cite news |last=Ford |first=Dana |last2=Almasy |first2=Steve |date=20 January 2016 |title=ISIS confirms death of 'Jihadi John' |url=https://edition.cnn.com/2016/01/19/middleeast/jihadi-john-dead/ |access-date=16 May 2018 |work=CNN}}{{cite news |last=Osborne |first=Samuel |last2=Austin |first2=Henry |date=20 January 2016 |title=Isis confirms 'Jihadi John' was killed in drone strike |url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/middle-east/isis-confirms-jihadi-john-is-dead-a6822016.html |url-access=subscription |url-status=live |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220608/https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/middle-east/isis-confirms-jihadi-john-is-dead-a6822016.html |archive-date=8 June 2022 |work=The Independent}} Further photographs showing him unmasked in Syria were released on 26 January 2016.{{Cite news|title =First pictures of 'Jihadi John' without mask in Syria|url = http://www.itv.com/news/2016-01-26/first-pictures-of-jihadi-john-unmasked-in-syria/|work = ITV News|date=26 January 2016|access-date=28 January 2016}}

In July 2017, German-based journalist Souad Mekhennet published I Was Told to Come Alone: My Journey Behind the Lines of Jihad, which details the hunt to identify and kill Jihadi John, in part through her own investigations.{{cite journal |url=https://www.newyorker.com/books/page-turner/souad-mekhennet-i-was-told-to-come-alone-my-journey-behind-the-lines-of-jihad |title=Souad Mekhennet's "I Was Told to Come Alone: My Journey Behind the Lines of Jihad" |first=Alexis |last=Okeowo |date=20 June 2017 |access-date=14 April 2019 |journal=New Yorker }} She was the lead reporter of a story, published in The Washington Post, that first revealed his true identity.{{cite news |url=https://longreads.com/2017/08/16/how-a-journalist-uncovered-the-true-identity-of-jihadi-john/ |title=How a Journalist Uncovered the True Identity of Jihadi John |date=June 2017 |first=Souad |last=Mekhennet |publisher=Longreads |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170829202927/https://longreads.com/2017/08/16/how-a-journalist-uncovered-the-true-identity-of-jihadi-john/ |archive-date=29 August 2017 |url-status=dead }}

In September 2017, The Telegraph released old video footage showing Mohammed Emwazi and other IS members relaxing unmasked and talking casually.{{cite web |last=Ensor |first=Josie |date=25 September 2017 |title=Inside Jihadi John's lair: Britain's most notorious Isil terrorists unmasked together for first time |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2017/09/25/inside-jihadi-johns-lair-britains-notorious-isil-terrorists/ |url-access=subscription |url-status=live |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220112/https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2017/09/25/inside-jihadi-johns-lair-britains-notorious-isil-terrorists/ |archive-date=12 January 2022 |access-date=27 September 2017 |work=The Telegraph}}{{cbignore}}

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