Media outlets identify 'Jihadi John' - Al Jazeera English

In ISIL videos, the masked man appears to have carried out the beheadings of three Americans and two Britons [AP]

Media outlets have identified "Jihadi John" - the suspect featuring in several Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant beheading videos - as Mohammed Emwazi from London.

The Washington Post newspaper named Emwazi and said he was a Briton from a well-to-do family who grew up in West London and graduated from college with a degree in computer programming.

The BBC later said it too had learned that Emwazi was the suspect in question.

Police declined to comment on the reports.

"We are not going to confirm the identity of anyone at this stage or give an update on the progress of this live counterterrorism investigation," said Commander Richard Walton of the Metropolitan Police's Counter Terrorism Command in a statement.

In videos released by ISIL, the masked, black-clad man brandishing a knife and speaking with an English accent appears to have carried out the beheadings of three Americans and two Britons.

The Washington Post said Emwazi was believed to have travelled to Syria around 2012 and to have later joined ISIL.

Source: Reuters

http://www.aljazeera.com/news/2015/02/media-outlets-identify-jihadi-john-150226110541697.html