He was born in Kuwait and comes from a prosperous family in London,
where he grew up and graduated with a computer programming degree,
according to the Washington Post.
In videos released
by Islamic State (IS), the black-clad militant brandishing a knife and
speaking with an English accent appears to have decapitated hostages
including Americans, Britons and Syrians.
The Washington Post said Emwazi, who used the videos to
threaten the West and taunt leaders such as President Barack Obama and
British Prime Minister David Cameron, was believed to have traveled to
Syria around 2012 and to have later joined IS.
In each beheading video, he is dressed entirely in black, a
balaclava covering all but his eyes and the ridge of his nose. He wears
a holster under his left arm.
Hostages gave him the name John as he and other IS Britons
had been nicknamed the Beatles. Another was dubbed George.
British government sources and the police refused to
confirm or deny the report, citing a live anti-terrorism investigation, a
position mirrored by a spokeswoman for Cameron.
"We don't
confirm or deny matters relating to intelligence," the spokeswoman said.
"I am not going to get into the details of an ongoing police and
security investigation."
"We have said since we have seen the awful actions being taken
by these terrorists that we are absolutely determined to bring the
perpetrators to justice, and the police and the security agencies have
been working hard to do that, continue to work hard to do that and that
is what we want to see," she said.
JIHADI FROM BRITAIN
Since a video surfaced in August 2014 showing a masked man
raging against the United States before apparently beheading U.S.
citizen James Foley off camera, "Jihadi John" has been one of the
world's most hunted men.
Intelligence services in Britain and the United States were
ordered to track down the masked man who became a menacing symbol of the
brutality of IS. Authorities used a variety of investigative techniques
including voice and facial recognition as well as interviews with
former hostages.
The services had chosen not to disclose his name for operational reasons.
There was no answer at addresses in London where Emwazi was listed as living.
The Post quoted one of Emwazi’s close friends as saying:
"I have no doubt that Mohammed is Jihadi John. He was like a brother to
me . . . I am sure it is him."
The Post quoted the friends of Emwazi, who spoke on
condition of anonymity, as saying they thought he had started to become
radicalized after a planned safari in Tanzania following his graduation
from the University of Westminster in London.
They said Emwazi and two friends — a German convert to
Islam named Omar and another man, Abu Talib — never made it to the
safari. On landing in Dar es Salaam, in May 2009, they were detained by
police and held overnight before eventually being deported, they added.
In a statement, the University of Westminster said a
Mohammed Emwazi had left the college six years ago. "If these
allegations are true, we are shocked and sickened by the news," a
spokesperson said.
The Post said Emwazi claimed that representatives from Britain's MI5
security service had tried to recruit him. He later tried to move to
Kuwait but was detained by counter terrorism officials in Britain in
2010.
Emwazi was prevented from traveling but eventually found a way to Syria in 2012, it added.
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