Identity of militant ‘Jihadi John’ unmasked

JUDY WOODRUFF:

Following yesterday's discovery of three men in the United States attempting to join the Islamic State, the world learned today the identity of Jihadi John, one of the extremist group's most infamous members.

MOHAMMED EMWAZI:

I'm back, Obama. And I'm back because of your arrogant foreign policy towards Islamic State.

JUDY WOODRUFF:

The British voice behind the mask has repeatedly threatened the U.S., Britain and their allies in videos showing hostages being brutally murdered.

MOHAMMED EMWAZI:

We take this opportunity to warn those governments that enter this evil alliance of America against the Islamic State to back off and leave our people alone.

JUDY WOODRUFF:

Today, it was widely reported that British and U.S. intelligence have identified the man as Mohammed Emwazi. Born in Kuwait, he grew up in a predominantly Muslim neighborhood in West London and graduated with a degree in computer programming from the University of Westminster.

In 2009, Emwazi traveled to Tanzania on what he said was a safari. He told a Muslim advocacy group that British intelligence accused him of trying to reach the Al-Shabaab terror group in Somalia, and he was deported. Later, he moved to Kuwait, and visited London at least twice. He ultimately traveled to Syria in 2012.

Outside his former London home today, neighbors expressed disbelief at Emwazi's alleged actions.

MAN:

What he thinks, he thinks this is jihad. No, it is not jihad. I am telling him it is not jihad. You killed the people as jihad. No, it is not jihad, sorry.

JUDY WOODRUFF:

The Jihadi John news came a day after the FBI charged two Brooklyn men of Uzbeki and Kazakh background with trying to fly to Syria to join Islamic State fighters.

New York City Police Commissioner Bill Bratton:

WILLIAM BRATTON, Commissioner, New York City Police Department:

It was made quite plain, based on their own statements, that if they were not able to go, that they would seek to acquire weapons here, handguns, machine gun, and seek to attack very specifically police officers.

JUDY WOODRUFF:

The two men, plus a third man in Jacksonville, Florida, are being held without bail on charges of conspiracy to provide material support to a terrorist group.