Jihadi John
"Jihadi John" | |
|---|---|
 A close-up of "Jihadi John" | |
| Nationality | British[3] |
| Known for | Multiple beheadings |
| Allegiance | Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant |
Reward amount | $10M USD[1] |
Wanted by | United States United Kingdom Japan Canada Syria |
| Details | |
| Victims | James Foley Steven Sotloff David Haines Alan Henning Peter Kassig Syrian soldiers Haruna Yukawa Kenji Goto [2] |
| Date | 2014-2015 |
| Weapons | Knife, handgun |
"Jihadi John" and "Jailer John" are pseudonyms given to a member of the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL, ISIS, or "Islamic State"), known for apparently beheading several prisoners in 2014 and 2015. He is alleged to be a British national.
Jihadi John was identified by the FBI in September 2014, though his name has yet to be released publicly. British Prime Minister David Cameron has ordered MI5, MI6, and GCHQ to track and capture Jihadi John. The U.S. Senate has approved a $10 million bounty for information leading to his capture.
Nickname
He was given his pseudonym as John by a group of his hostages. The hostages have said that he was part of a terrorist cell described as "The Beatles", and that he guarded Western hostages while handling communications with their families.[4] The pseudonym makes reference to John Lennon of the Beatles, and other members of the cell are known as "George", "Paul" and "Ringo", in reference to the Beatles' other members, George Harrison, Paul McCartney, and Ringo Starr. The cell members all had English accents.[5][6] The pseudonyms "Jihadi John" and "Jailer John" were created by the British press.[7][8]
Jihadi John was identified by the FBI on 25 September 2014, though his name has yet to be released publicly.[9] British Prime Minister David Cameron has ordered MI5, MI6, and GCHQ to track and capture Jihadi John.[10][11][12]
Those killed
Unknown Syrian soldier
In a video posted on Instagram in May 2014, a man who investigators believe may be Jihadi John is seen killing a Syrian soldier. The video shows a soldier loyal to President Bashar al-Assad crouching in a field in Syria, then being shot in the back of the head by a man armed with a pistol.[13]
James Foley
In a video uploaded to YouTube on 19 August 2014, Foley read a prepared statement criticizing the United States, the recent air strikes in Iraq, and his brother who serves in the United States Air Force.[14] Jihadi John, wearing a mask, also read a prepared statement in which he criticized America and President Barack Obama and made demands to cease the 2014 American-led intervention in Iraq.[14] The masked man then beheaded Foley off-camera, after which he threatened to behead Steven Sotloff if his demands were not met. The FBI and United States National Security Council confirmed that the video, which included footage of Foley's beheaded corpse, was genuine.[14]
Steven Sotloff
On 2 September 2014, a video was released reportedly showing American journalist Steven Sotloff's beheading by Jihadi John.[15] The White House confirmed the video's authenticity.[16]
David Haines
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 Jihadi John.[17]
Alan Henning
On 3 October 2014, a video released by ISIL showing Jihadi John beheading British aid worker Alan Henning. Henning, a taxi driver from Salford, Greater Manchester, had volunteered to deliver aid to Syria when he was kidnapped in Ad Dana, an area held by ISIL, on 27 December 2013.[18][19]
Peter Kassig
On 15 November 2014 a video was posted by ISIL of Jihadi John standing over a severed head, which the White House confirmed was that of Peter Kassig.[20] Kassig's actual beheading was not shown, and unlike earlier hostage beheading videos he does not make a statement, leading to speculation that he refused to speak.
Syrian soldiers
The video that ended with Kassig showed the beheadings of 18 Syrian soldiers in gruesome detail, by a group led by a masked Jihadi John. It was said by the BBC that unlike previous videos, this one shows the faces of many of the militants, provided the location as Dabiq in Aleppo Province, and that this video "revels in gore." Unlike previous videos which cut away without showing the killing, Jihadi John is shown beheading a victim.[2]
Haruna Yukawa and Kenji Goto
Haruna Yukawa, age 42, was captured sometime before August 2014. Kenji Goto, age 47, was captured sometime in October 2014 while trying to rescue Yukawa. In January 2015, they were threatened to be killed unless the Japanese government paid a ransom of $200 million.[21] Haruna was beheaded on 24 January, and Kenji on 31 January 2015.[22][23][24]
Hostages
It was claimed in August 2014 that ISIL held more than 20 hostages.[25] Many hostage families have chosen not to reveal their relatives' names in order to avoid drawing attention to them and compromising their safety.[26] All or nearly all of the Europeans were ransomed by their countries. However laws in the US and the UK prohibit paying ransoms.[27]
John Cantlie
Cantlie is a British citizen held hostage who has appeared in a series of ISIL videos. He was kidnapped along with American James Foley on 22 November 2012.
Kayla Mueller
Kayla Mueller, a 26-year-old American aid worker, was the last known remaining American hostage. She was kidnapped in August 2013 along with other aid workers in Syria, who have subsequently been released. No news organization published her name at the request of her family until February 6, 2015 when ISIL claimed she had been killed in a Jordanian airstrike on the building she had been held in.[28] In contrast to previous beheading videos, she was not shown or named as the next victim in the Kassig–Syrians video and ISIL had not publicly acknowledged holding her until they reported her alleged death.[27] In a statement released on 10 February 2015, her family confirmed her death.[29]
Analysis of videos
Official analysis
Officially the FBI and United States National Security Council confirmed that the James Foley video, which ended with footage of a beheaded corpse, is genuine.[14] David Cameron and the British Foreign Office also confirmed the authenticity of the video showing the death of David Haines.[30]
The videos were produced and distributed by Al Hayat Media Center, a media outlet of ISIL that is under the authority of the ISIL's official propaganda arm, the Al-Itisam Establishment for Media Production, that targets specifically Western and non-Arabic speaking audiences.[31]
Unofficial analysis
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."[32] Two unnamed video specialists in the International Business Times of Australia claimed that portions of the video appeared to be staged and edited.[33] Dr. 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.[14] Jeff Smith, Associate Director of the CU Denver National Center for Media Forensics said "What's most interesting is that the actual beheading that takes place in the videos, both of them are staged."[34]
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.[35][36][37]
Identification and manhunt
Jihadi John became the subject of a manhunt by the FBI, MI5 and Scotland Yard.[38][39][40] In his videos, Jihadi John conceals his identity by covering himself from head to toe in black, except for tan desert boots, with a mask that only leaves his eyes visible.[38] Despite this, several facts about Jihadi John can be ascertained from both videos. He speaks with a "Multicultural London English" accent[38] and appears to have a skin tone consistent with African or South Asian descent.[14] In both videos, he is seen to sport a pistol in a leather shoulder holster under his left shoulder, typical of right-handed people,[41] but his actions in the videos have led him to be widely considered to be left-handed.[42]
Other factors that could lead to his identification are his height, general physique, the pattern of veins on the back of his hands,[14] his voice and clothes.[14][38] A team of analysts might use the topography of the landscape in the video in an attempt to identify the location.[14] On 24 August 2014, the British Ambassador to Washington, Sir Peter Westmacott, said that Britain was very close to identifying Jihadi John using sophisticated voice recognition technology,[43] but when pressed, refused to disclose any other details.[44]
In an article by The Daily Telegraph, it was stated that even if Jihadi John is positively identified, it is highly unlikely that he would face justice in the UK due to the nature of the conflict in Syria and the conflict in Iraq.
On 20 September 2014, the US Senate approved a $10 million bounty for information that leads to the capture of anyone involved in the murders of James Foley, Steven Sotloff and David Cawthorne Haines, which includes Jihadi John.[1][45]
Possible identity
On 14 September British Prime Minister David Cameron confirmed that Jihadi John's identity was known but had yet to be revealed.[46]
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.[47] "I believe that we have identified him. I'm not going to tell you who I believe it is," Comey stated.[48] Michael Ryan, an author and scholar from the Middle East Institute speculated "Maybe 98 percent of 95 percent sure is not sure enough to put a man’s name out."[47]
According to sources, there are three main suspects:[49][50][51]
- Abdel-Majed Abdel Bary, 23, a rapper from West London
- Abu Hussain Al-Britani, 20, a computer hacker from Birmingham
- Abu Abdullah al-Britani, in his 20s from Portsmouth
Reactions
Barack Obama condemned the actions of Jihadi John and vowed punishment for all the militants responsible behind the videotaped beheadings.[52] 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.[52] British officials have also reiterated their commitment to capturing Jihadi John. Admiral Alan West, a former UK Security Minister, said that he is a "dead man walking" who will be "hunted down like Osama Bin-Laden".[53] David Cameron also stated that he was absolutely certain that Jihadi John would "one way or another, face justice", he also condemned the actions.[54][55] Other figures like Justice Secretary Chris Grayling, and Secretary General of Interpol Ronald Noble also stated that Jihadi John should be brought to justice.[56]
Ringo Starr, a member of the Beatles, is disgusted that the militant cell use nicknames derived from members of the band. Speaking to the London Evening Standard, he said "It’s bullshit. What they are doing out there is against everything the Beatles stood for."[57]
See also
References
- ^ a b "US Senate Approves $10m Bounty for James Foley and Steven Sotloff Isis Killers". 20 September 2014. Retrieved 22 September 2014.
- ^ a b "BBC News – Abdul-Rahman Kassig: US hostage 'killed by IS'". BBC News.
- ^ Simpson, John; Gardham, Duncan; Haynes, Deborah (21 August 2014). "The hunt for British jihadist 'Jailer John'". thetimes.co.uk. Retrieved 17 September 2014.
- ^ "Hunt for "Jihadi John" continues". Daily Mail. Retrieved 22 August 2014.
- ^ James Harkin, Ian Birrell, Sharon Churcher, and Dan Bloom (23 August 2014). "British spies are on verge of identifying 'Jailer John': Ambassador to US reveals 'we are not far away' from unmasking fanatic who murdered James Foley as SAS gets ready to find him". Daily Mail Online. Retrieved 14 November 2014.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) - ^ Levy, Megan (5 August 2014). "How London rapper L Jinny became Jihadi John, suspected of beheading James Foley". Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 25 September 2014.
- ^ "'Jihadi John', fears for Gazza and GCSE 'ghost of Gove' in headlines". BBC News. 22 August 2014. Retrieved 5 October 2014.
- ^ McCoy, Terrence (22 August 2014). "The brutality of 'Jihadi John,' the Islamic State militant who decapitated James Foley". Washington Post. Retrieved 5 October 2014.
- ^ "FBI: US identifies masked militant in beheading videos". BBC. 25 September 2014. Retrieved 25 September 2014.
- ^ "British Prime Minister David Cameron orders spy chiefs to hunt down 'Jihadi John'". The Times of India. 5 October 2014. Retrieved 5 October 2014.
- ^ "British PM David Cameron orders spy chiefs to hunt down 'Jihadi John'". Economic Times. 5 October 2014. Retrieved 5 October 2014.
- ^ "David Cameron pledges to defeat 'ruthless, senseless and barbaric' Isil killers". Patrick Sawer, Tim Ross. The Telegraph. 5 October 2014. Retrieved 5 October 2014.
- ^ "James Foley's Murderer May Have Been Spotted In Another Brutal Execution Video". Telegraph. Retrieved 7 September 2014.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i Rayner, Gordon (20 August 2014). "Video clues that could unmask James Foley's murderer". Telegraph. Retrieved 24 August 2014.
- ^ Paul Lewis (2 September 2014). "Isis video purports to show execution of US journalist Steven Sotloff". The Guardian. Retrieved 2 September 2014.
- ^ Joshua Rhett Miller/AP (3 September 2014). "White House confirms authenticity of ISIS video showing beheading of reporter". Fox News. Retrieved 3 September 2014.
- ^ "ISIS executes British aid worker David Haines; Cameron vows justice". CNN. Retrieved 13 September 2014.
- ^ "BBC News – World reacts to IS video showing apparent killing of Alan Henning". BBC News. Retrieved 4 October 2014.
- ^ "BBC News – Alan Henning: An ordinary man who wanted to help Syrians". BBC News.
- ^ Kim Hjelmgaard, USA TODAY (16 November 2014). "U.S. review of Islamic State video confirms American's death".
- ^ January 20, 2015 9:46 AM (20 January 2015). "Profiles of the Japanese hostages in Islamist State video - Yahoo News". News.yahoo.com. Retrieved 2 February 2015.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link) - ^ "Japan says ISIL beheading video likely authentic". Al Jazeera English. Retrieved 2 February 2015.
- ^ "BBC News - Japan outraged at IS 'beheading' of hostage Kenji Goto". Bbc.com. 1 January 1970. Retrieved 2 February 2015.
- ^ Press, Associated. "Islamic State beheads Japanese journalist | New York Post". Nypost.com. Retrieved 2 February 2015.
- ^ Chulov, Martin (20 August 2014). "Islamic State militants seize four more foreign hostages in Syria". The Guardian. Retrieved 23 August 2014.
- ^ Julie Pace (3 September 2014). "Obama says beheading videos won't intimidate US". Yahoo News!. AP. Retrieved 3 September 2014. Quote: "one [hostage] is a 26-year-old woman who was kidnapped while doing humanitarian aid work in Syria, according to a family representative who asked that the hostage not be identified out of fear for her safety."
- ^ a b Shane Harris. "A 26-Year-Old Woman Is ISIS's Last American Hostage". The Daily Beast. Retrieved 2 February 2015.
- ^ Updated 10:33 PM ET, Fri February 6, 2015 (6 February 2015). "Jordan challenges ISIS claim of U.S. hostage death in airstrike". CNN.com. Retrieved 10 February 2015.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link) - ^ CBS/APFebruary 10, 2015, 10:05 AM. "Kayla Jean Mueller, American ISIS hostage, is dead, family confirms". CBS News. Retrieved 10 February 2015.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link) - ^ CThe Associated Press (14 September 2014). "David Haines beheading: British PM vows to 'hunt down those responsible'". CBC.
- ^ Christoph Günther (20 August 2014). "Der 'Islamische Staat' agiert hochgradig rational". Deutsche Welle.
- ^ Deborah Haynes (25 August 2014). "Foley video with Briton was staged, experts say". The Times. Retrieved 27 August 2014.
- ^ "James Foley Beheading Video Has Play-Acting Portions – Video Experts Say". International Business Times of Australia. 23 August 2014. Retrieved 23 August 2014.
{{cite news}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in:|publisher=(help) - ^ "Media Forensics Experts Analyzing ISIS Video In Denver « CBS Denver". Retrieved 15 September 2014.
- ^ "France 24: Exécution de James Foley: la traque de "Jihadi John" est lancée". France 24. Retrieved 11 September 2014.
- ^ "Bellingcat: The Hills of Raqqa – Geolocating the James Foley Video". Retrieved 11 September 2014.
- ^ "Is this where James Foley was killed?". CNN Video. Retrieved 11 September 2014.
- ^ a b c d Nick Allen and Philip Sherwell (20 August 2014). "Hunt for 'British' Islamic State killer of US journalist James Foley". The Daily Telegraph. Retrieved 20 August 2014.
- ^ Sparrow, Andrew (20 August 2014). "PM returns from holiday after video shows US reporter beheaded by Briton". The Guardian. Retrieved 20 August 2014.
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{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) - ^ Joshua Rhett Miller (3 September 2014). "White House confirms authenticity of ISIS video showing beheading of reporter". Fox News. Retrieved 3 September 2014.
- ^ Sherwell, Philip (24 Augusr 2014). "Britain 'very close' to identifying 'Jihadi John' – suspected killer of James Foley – says ambassador". Telegraph. Retrieved 24 August 2014.
{{cite web}}: Check date values in:|date=(help) - ^ Almasy, Steve (26 August 2014). "Britain close to identifying James Foley's killer, ambassador says". CNN. Retrieved 26 August 2014.
- ^ Dassanayake, Dion (20 September 2014). "'Their deaths will not go unpunished': US pledges £6m bounty on IS executioner Jihadi John". Retrieved 14 October 2014.
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- ^ a b Crompton, Paul (26 September 2014). "FBI: U.S. identifies ISIS hostage executioner". Al Arabiya. Retrieved 26 September 2014.
- ^ Winter, Michael (25 September 2014). "FBI chief: ISIL militant in beheading videos identified". USA Today. Retrieved 26 September 2014.
- ^ "London hip-hop artist Abdel-Majed Abdel Bary key suspect in hunt for killer of American journalist James Foley". news.com.au. Retrieved 24 August 2014.
- ^ "British rapper, a hacker and jihadi propagandist possible identities of 'John the Beatle', suspected killer of US journalist James Foley". News.Au. Retrieved 23 August 2014.
- ^ "London rapper Abdel-Majed Abdel Bary investigated as police hunt for 'Jihadi John'". Evening Standard. 23 August 2014. Retrieved 24 August 2014.
- ^ a b "Log In – The New York Times". Retrieved 11 September 2014.
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- ^ "David Cameron 'absolutely certain Jihadi John will be caught' – Telegraph". Telegraph.co.uk. 4 September 2014. Retrieved 11 September 2014.
- ^ "Alan Henning murder: David Cameron vows to defeat Isis". The Guardian. 4 October 2014. Retrieved 7 October 2014.
- ^ Whitehead, Tom (16 September 2014). "Jihadi John known to MI5 but may never be brought to justice". The Telegraph. Retrieved 19 September 2014.
- ^ Watts, Matt (4 September 2014). "Ringo Starr takes on IS over Beatles nickname: 'It's bulls**t... We stood for peace and love'". Evening Standard. Retrieved 17 September 2014.