ISIS executioner 'Jihadi John' identified as Mohammed Emwazi

The British Islamic State militant known as "Jihadi John" believed to be responsible for multiple executions of Western hostages has been identified as Mohammed Emwazi by a report in the Washington Post.

Born in Kuwait, Emwazi comes from a "well-to-do family" in West London and studied computer science at the University of Westminster.

The Washington Post talked to multiple friends of Emwazi who identified him as the Jihadist militant responsible for the graphic beheadings of James Foley, Steven Sotloff, and others. Wearing a mask to obscure his identity, the executioner became known by his distinctive British accent, and was dubbed "Jihadi John" by the media.

Emwazi became radicalised after graduating from University, and was known to authorities. He had been stopped and quizzed twice by security services, once in Tanzania and again in Britain. This first detentionsfrustrated Emwazi, according to one fried. "Mohammed was quite incensed by his treatment, that he had been very unfairly treated." When it happened again, Emwazi wrote to his friend that he felt "like a prisoner, only in in a cage, in London."

He is believed to have travelled to Syria in 2012, where he became responsible for guarding prisoners.