The Islamic State said today that the British citizen nicknamed ”Jihadi John,” who beheaded captives in several ISIL videos, was killed in an airstrike in November. The death of Mohammed Emwazi—also known as Abu Muharib al-Muhajir—was reported in the Islamist militant group’s in-house magazine, Dabiq, according to the SITE monitoring group.
Emwazi was born in Kuwait and moved to a west London suburb with his family at the age of six. As a teenager, he was part of a group of Muslim youths that followed a local preacher, the Guardian reported. Three boys from that group are now dead, one has been stripped of his British citizenship, and several more are in prison.
Emwazi, whose nickname referred to his prominent British accent, was identified by US officials after he appeared while masked in a video beheading the American journalist James Foley. His other victims include American photojournalist Steven Sotloff, Japanese journalist Kenji Goto, and British and American aid workers.
This story is developing.