ISIS executioner Jihadi John identified as a Londoner

The masked Islamic State executioner known as "Jihadi John" for his British accent has been named, according to the BBC, as Mohammed Emwazi, a Kuwaiti-born British man in his mid-20s from West London, who was known to UK security services. They chose not to disclose his name earlier for operational reasons.

Emwazi first appeared in a video last August, when he apparently killed the American journalist James Foley and in later videos showing the beheadings of US journalist Steven Sotloff, British aid worker David Haines, British taxi driver Alan Henning, and American aid worker Abdul-Rahman Kassig. In each of the videos, JIhadi John appeared heavily masked and dressed in a black robe.