ISIS Terrorist 'Jihadi John' Possibly Killed In Drone Strike In Syria
Nov. 13 2015, Published 8:13 a.m. ET
Officials Friday were assessing whether notorious ISIS terrorist "Jihadi John" was killed in a drone strike carried out by the U.S. and Britain in Syria.
The fate of "Jihadi John" (whose real name is Mohammed Emwazi) remained unclear, according to both the Pentagon and British Prime Minister David Cameron.
Emwazi was in a vehicle that a drone was targeted at in Raqqa, U.S. officials told the AP under condition of anonymity. Cameron — singling Emwazi out as the "lead executioner" for the Islamic State military group — said that eliminating the infamous terrorist was "a strike at the heart" of ISIS.
Cameron said British authorities had been "working with the United States" in "a combined effort"
"It will demonstrate to those who would do Britain, our people and our allies harm: We have a long reach, we have unwavering determination and we never forget about our citizens."
Terrorists "need to know this: your days are numbered and you will be defeated," U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry told reporters in Tunisia on Friday.
Former hostage Javier Espinosa, a Spanish journalist, described Emwazi as a sadist who liked describing in detail to his victims how they would be beheaded.
Victims of ISIS beheadings that have been chronicled on video include journalists James Foley, Kenji Goto and Steven Sotloff; and aid workers Abdul-Rahman Kassig, David Haines and Alan Henning.
Emwazi has not been seed in an ISIS video since February, when his identity was exposed in reports.