The Birth of a Terrorist Spokesman

The masked ISIS executioner known as ‘Jihadi John’ has been revealed as Mohammed Emwazi, a Kuwaiti born Londoner with a degree in Computer Science, reported the Washington Times. The paper described him as being from a well-to-do family in West London, graduating from college with a degree before disappearing from his family. 4 months after Emwazi was reported missing to the police, authorities told the family their son was in Syria. According to the Kuwaiti government, Emwazi’s mother identified her son immediately from his voice when she saw the first beheading video in August.

A statement from the International Centre for the Study of Radicalisation (ICSR) at King’s College London said: ‘We believe the identity and name published by the Washington Post and now in the public realm to be accurate and correct.’ Given the large influx of foreign soldiers, many of whom also attempt to maintain their anonymity through pseudonyms and masks, this event demonstrates that masking one’s identity is impossible. The U.S. Senate has now approved a $10 million bounty for the man known as ‘ISIS’ Frontman.”

In 2009/2010, Emwazi decided to move to Kuwait, where he told friends he had a job and marriage waiting for him – but was prevented from travelling there by UK counter-terrorism officials. 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.” Former hostages told the Post that “Jihadi John was obsessed with Somalia” and forced captives to watch videos about al-Shabab.The well-to-do Emwazi is only one of many Western born Muslims who have traveled to join ISIS.