His voice became hauntingly familiar as the masked man with a British accent who appeared repeatedly in brutal beheading videos from ISIS. <\/p>\n
But the identity of \"Jihadi John\" remained a mystery -- until Thursday, when two U.S. officials and two U.S. congressional sources confirmed it. <\/p>\n
The man, the officials said, is Mohammed Emwazi, a Kuwaiti-born Londoner. <\/p>\n
The officials, who've been briefed on the matter, spoke to CNN after a Washington Post report first revealed Emwazi's identity. <\/p>\n
Emwazi is believed to have traveled to Syria in 2012, according to the newspaper, and later to have joined ISIS there. <\/p>\n
Even with a name and face for the man behind the mask, uncertainty still swirled Thursday. London police and British officials declined to confirm his identity. Officials from a London-based human rights and Muslim advocacy organization who've interacted with Emwazi said they couldn't be 100% certain it was him. <\/p>\n
And a key question remained unanswered: What inspired him to join ISIS? <\/p>\n
The answer depends on who you ask. <\/p>\n
Some terrorism experts said Emwazi's history shows someone who'd been on a path toward extremism for years. <\/p>\n
But CAGE, the London advocacy group that worked with him, said if he is the man who's appeared in ISIS videos, it's a sign that British authorities' tactics pushed him to radicalize. <\/p>\n
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Read the rest here: His voice became hauntingly familiar as the masked man with a British accent who appeared repeatedly in brutal beheading videos from ISIS. But the identity of \"Jihadi John\" remained a mystery -- until Thursday, when two U.S. officials and two U.S. Continue reading
\nReport: ISIS fighter 'Jihadi John' identified<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"