--- description: From S Club 7 and Manchester United to Islamic fundamentalism and possibly murder title: Jihadi John: Everything We Know About Mohammed Emwazi image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltf89b3b79f74196c5/69878167f887dc56eae8a5ae/mohammed-emwazi-1.jpg?branch=production&width=1920&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  * [World](/section/world/) ## World Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close * [ISIS](/tag/isis/) ## ISIS Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close # Everything We Know About 'Jihadi John' ## Video: The Families ISIS Fighters Leave Behind [Watch (HLS stream): The Families ISIS Fighters Leave Behind](https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/3wE4zvGL.m3u8) (5:29)  _Published 2015-02-26. How the rivalry between ISIS & Al-Nusra is tearing families apart_  by [Naina Bajekal](/author/naina-bajekal/)  ## Naina Bajekal Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Bajekal was executive editor and international editor at TIME. Feb 27, 2015 4:07 PM CUT  The ISIS militant, who has been identified as a Briton named Mohammed Emwazi, seen in a propaganda video. The ISIS militant, who has been identified as a Briton named Mohammed Emwazi, seen in a propaganda video.Reuters  by [Naina Bajekal](/author/naina-bajekal/)  ## Naina Bajekal Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Bajekal was executive editor and international editor at TIME. Feb 27, 2015 4:07 PM CUT The identity of the masked fighter from the Islamic State of Iraq and Greater Syria “Jihadi John” has been revealed as Mohammed Emwazi. He first appeared in a video last August showing the beheading of American journalist James Foley and the world has been wondering about his identity and what led him to such brutality ever since. Security services were quick to identify him but his name was not publicized until Thursday. All we knew was that ‘Jihadi John’ murdered or appeared to murder Foley, two other Americans, Steven Sotloff, and Abdul-Rahman (Peter) Kassig, Britons David Haines and Alan Henning, and Haruna Yukawa and Kenji Goto Jogo from Japan. Now we know a lot more about the man behind the mask: – Born in Kuwait in 1988, Emwazi moved to the U.K. at the age of six and grew up in northwest London, first in a rented flat in Maida Vale and then in a two-storey terraced house in the middle-class area of Queen’s Park. – Emwazi was educated at St Mary Magdalene Church of England elementary school. According to [_The Times_](http://www.thetimes.co.uk/tto/news/uk/crime/article4366957.ece "undefined"), he “was a fan of the pop group S Club 7, Manchester United, the computer game _Duke Nukem: Time to Kill_ and the book _How to Kill a Monster.”_ – One neighbor told [_The Times_](http://www.thetimes.co.uk/tto/news/uk/crime/article4366957.ece "undefined") that he used to hear loud arguments from their home. Friends and neighbors have said the Emwazi family was not radical, and said that the son was always religious, but not extreme. He has been described as a polite, quiet young man, a hard-working student and fond of stylish clothes. – Emwazi attended Quintin Kynaston Community Academy in North London, completing his high-school studies in 2006\. It’s not yet clear where he was first radicalized, but [_The Times_](http://www.thetimes.co.uk/tto/news/uk/crime/article4366957.ece "undefined")suggests he was drawn into a group of extremists supporting the Somalia-based group Al-Shabaab. British intelligence agency MI5 believed that the men conducted covert meetings around football matches. – He graduated in 2009 from the University of Westminster in London with a computer science degree. Fluent in both Arabic and English, he apparently hoped to build a successful career in Arab countries. – That summer, he travelled to Tanzania with two friends, allegedly for a safari holiday. Emwazi and his friends were detained in the capital Dar es Salaam. He denied attempting to reach Somalia (although a former ISIS hostage told the _Post_ that Jihadi John “was obsessed with Somalia” and forced his prisoners to watch videos about Al-Shabaab). Rights advocacy group [CAGE](http://cageuk.org/case/mohammed-emwazi "undefined") say Emwazi was denied an official reason for his detention and was repeatedly threatened by officers armed with guns and sticks. **MORE** [Inside ISIS, a TIME Special Report](http://time.com/inside-isis-a-time-special-report/ "undefined") The trio were deported to Amsterdam, and then back to Britain, and were questioned by counter-terrorism officials in both places. Emwazi claimed an MI5 agent tried to recruit him at this point, and when he refused, threatened: “You’re going to have a lot of trouble…You’re going to be known…you’re going to be followed…life will be harder for you.” – The following month, Sept. 2009, Emwazi returned to Kuwait, apparently to avoid being further harassed in the U.K. According to emails he sent Asim Qureshi, research director of CAGE, he had a contract with a computer company in Kuwait. He stayed there for eight months. – In May 2010, he was stopped at London’s Heathrow airport but was allowed to re-enter the U.K. for an eight-day visit, before returning to Kuwait in June. – In late July 2010, Emwazi returned to Britain with plans to wed a woman in Kuwait. He was questioned at Heathrow for six hours and his visa to return to Kuwait was refused. Emwazi told CAGE he was violently assaulted by a police officer during this interrogation. That year he also filed a complaint to the Independent Police Complaints Commission, claiming he had been harassed and intimidated by the security services for a year. Emwazi also told CAGE that MI5 had approached his fiancée in Kuwait, apparently scaring off her and her family. The marriage was cancelled. – Emwazi soon learnt that British intelligence had asked the Kuwaiti government to reject his visa application. Stuck in the U.K., Emwazi sought the help of both lawyers and human rights groups to reverse his situation. He was unsuccessful. – His friends, speaking to the _Post_, said Emwazi was “desperate to leave the country”. In 2012, he passed an English language teaching course and applied to several language schools in Saudi Arabia to teach the language there. His applications were rejected. – In early 2013, Emwazi changed his name by deed poll to Mohammed al-Ayan, apparently on the recommendation of his father, who suggested it might allow him to travel without the same problems as before. He attempted to travel to Kuwait once more but was barred and questioned again by intelligence officials. – One week later, Emwazi left his parents’ London home. Three days after his disappearance, his parents reported him as a missing person. According to CAGE, it was not until four months later that the police visited his family home. His father said they had managed some limited contact with him and believed he was in Turkey helping refugees. The police told Emwazi’s parents they had information Emwazi had entered Syria. – A former hostage said Jihadi John was part of a team guarding Western hostages at ‘the box’, a nickname given to a prison in Idlib, Syria. According to the _Post_ hostages described him as quiet, intelligent, and “the most deliberate” of the guards. Freed captives said Emwazi and his team have taken on increasingly powerful roles within ISIS. _Read next:_ [_Leonard Nimoy, Who Played Spock on_ ](http://time.com/3726304/leonard-nimoy-spock-dead/?xid=time%5Freadnext "undefined")[Star Trek_, Dies at 83_](http://time.com/3726304/leonard-nimoy-spock-dead/?xid=time%5Freadnext "undefined") ### Go Inside an ISIS Gift Shop  A mug with a militant commander's portrait on the side, found in a Islamic clothing and accessory shop in the Bagcilar district of Istanbul, Turkey. Guy Martin—Panos  A keyring with the iconography of the seal of the prophet, the iconography is also being used by the Islamic State IS. found in a Islamic clothing and accessory shop in the Bagcilar district of Istanbul, Turkey. Guy Martin—Panos  A head band featuring the islamic iconography of Jihad, found in a Islamic clothing and accessory shop in the Bagcilar district of Istanbul, Turkey. Guy Martin—Panos  A scarf found in a Islamic clothing and accessory shop in the Bagcilar district of Istanbul, Turkey. Guy Martin—Panos  A badge to be sewn onto clothing featuring the current iconography of the Islamic State, found in a Islamic clothing and accessory shop in the Bagcilar district of Istanbul, Turkey. Guy Martin—Panos  A long sleeve T-shirt with the iconography of Islamic State, found in a Islamic clothing and accessory shop in the Bagcilar district of Istanbul, Turkey. Guy Martin—Panos  The black flag associated with Jihad or Al Raya - it has been a symbol of religious fighting and battles since the founding of Islam in the seventh century. Prophet Muhammad and many of his companions are said to have carried a similar flag into battle. This item was found in a Islamic clothing and accessory shop in the Bagcilar district of Istanbul, Turkey. Guy Martin—Panos  Head band featuring the islamic iconography of Jihad, found in a Islamic clothing and accessory shop in the Bagcilar district of Istanbul, Turkey. Guy Martin—Panos  A mug with the iconography of Islamic State on the side, found in a Islamic clothing and accessory shop in the Bagcilar district of Istanbul, Turkey. Guy Martin—Panos  Jihad keyring, found in a Islamic clothing and accessory shop in the Bagcilar district of Istanbul, Turkey. Guy Martin—Panos  found in a Islamic clothing and accessory shop in the Bagcilar district of Istanbul, Turkey. Guy Martin—Panos  A suit lapel badge found in a Islamic clothing and accessory shop in the Bagicilar district of Istanbul. Guy Martin—Panos  Military-style pants, found in a Islamic clothing and accessory shop in the Bagcilar district of Istanbul, Turkey. Guy Martin—Panos  A modified version of the Caucasus Emirate flag used by the unrecognized secessionist government of the Chechen republic of Ichkeria was elected in 1991 but replaced by the Caucasus Emirate in 2007\. This item was found in a Islamic clothing and accessory shop in the Bagcilar district of Istanbul, Turkey. Guy Martin—Panos [_Listen to the most important stories of the day._](http://time.com/newsletter/the-brief/?sl%5Fautoplay=true&xid=spl-fullbrief-article "undefined") ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/3725690/jihadi-john-mohammed-emwazi/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/3725690/jihadi-john-mohammed-emwazi/"},"headline":"Everything We Know About 'Jihadi John'","datePublished":"2015-02-27T16:07:10.000Z","dateModified":"2026-05-11T05:05:21.525Z","description":"From S Club 7 and Manchester United to Islamic fundamentalism and possibly murder","url":"https://time.com/3725690/jihadi-john-mohammed-emwazi/","keywords":["ISIS"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltf89b3b79f74196c5/69878167f887dc56eae8a5ae/mohammed-emwazi-1.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Naina Bajekal","jobTitle":"Bajekal was executive editor and international editor at TIME.","url":"https://time.com/author/naina-bajekal/"}],"articleSection":"World","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltf89b3b79f74196c5/69878167f887dc56eae8a5ae/mohammed-emwazi-1.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675,"headline":"Still image from video shows a masked, black-clad militant, who has been identified by the Washington Post newspaper as Emwazi, standing next to a man purported to be Haines","caption":"The ISIS militant, who has been identified as a Briton named Mohammed Emwazi, seen in a propaganda video.","creditText":"Reuters","representativeOfPage":true}],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"/section/world/","name":"World"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"/tag/isis/","name":"ISIS"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/3725690/jihadi-john-mohammed-emwazi/","name":"Everything We Know About 'Jihadi John'"}}]},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"VideoObject","name":"The Families ISIS Fighters Leave Behind","description":"How the rivalry between ISIS & Al-Nusra is tearing families apart","thumbnailUrl":"https://cdn.jwplayer.com/v2/media/3wE4zvGL/poster.jpg?width=720","uploadDate":"2015-02-26T00:36:47.000Z","contentUrl":"https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/3wE4zvGL.m3u8","embedUrl":"https://time.com/3725690/jihadi-john-mohammed-emwazi/","duration":"PT5M29S","potentialAction":{"@type":"SeekToAction","target":"https://time.com/3725690/jihadi-john-mohammed-emwazi/?jw_start={seek_to_second_number}","startOffset-input":"required name=seek_to_second_number"}}] ```