A well-known mouthpiece of the Islamic State (ISIS) militants, who came to be known as 'Jihadi John' after appearing in several of the group's violent propaganda videos, was identified Thursday.
According to reports, the man behind the mask is Mohammed Emwazi from West London, who became infamous after appearing in at least six different videos released by the group since August that show the detention and execution of foreigners taken hostage by the group.
A timeline of Emwazi's history with Islamic State shows how the British man came to be known as the voice of the brutal group's crusade against the west.
Aug. 19, 2014
The man named Thursday first appeared in footage from an ISIS-associated account, appearing beside American journalist James Foley who had gone missing in Syria in 2012. The British jihadi was given the nickname after a group of three British jihadists, thought to be guarding prisoners, were referred to as John, Paul and Ringo, after The Beatles.
The hooded, masked man who appeared beside Foley in the video spoke clear English with a distinctive London accent.
“You are not longer fighting an insurgency, you are fighting an Islamic army and a state that has been accepted by a large number of Muslims worldwide," he says in this video. "Any attempt by you, Obama, to deny the Muslims their rights of living in safety under the Islamic caliphate will result in the bloodshed of your people."
Sept. 2, 2014
Islamic State posted a video on September 2, 2014 showing the beheading of 31-year-old American Steven Sotloff, a freelance journalist at TIME magazine who went missing in Syria in Aug. 2013.
“I’m back, Obama, and I’m back because of your arrogant foreign policy towards the Islamic State," the masked man says to the the camera before Sotloff is killed.
Sept. 13, 2014
Islamic State militants shared a video on Sept. 13 showing the beheading of 44-year-old British aid worker David Haines. This time, the masked man directs his message to UK Prime Minister David Cameron, calling him a “lap-dog” and saying that the British government has an "evil alliance" with the U.S..
"This British man has to pay the price for your promise, Cameron, to arm the Peshmerga against the Islamic State. Ironically, he has spent a decade of his life serving under the same Royal Air Force that is responsible for delivering those arms. Your evil alliance with America which continues to strike the Muslims of Iraq and most recently bombed the Haditha Dam will only accelerate your destruction," says the masked man.
Oct. 3, 2014
'Jihadi John' is again seen in Oct. 3 footage showing the beheading of another British citizen Alan Henning. Again, he calls out to Cameron.
“The blood of David Haines was on your hands, Cameron. Alan Henning will also be slaughtered but his blood is on the hands of the British Parliament,” he says to the camera.
Nov. 16, 2014
Islamic State released a video on Nov. 16, 2014, which showed the severed head of the U.S. aid worker Peter Kassig. 'Jihadi John' is once again in the footage, wielding a knife.
"We say to you Obama, you claim to have withdrawn from Iraq four years ago. We said to you then that you were liars, that you had not withdrawn and that if you had withdrawn, you would return after some time. You would return. Here you are not withdrawn," says the masked man.
Jan. 20, 2015
'Jihadi John' emerged again in a Jan. 20 video alongside two Japanese nationals Kenji Goto Jogo and Haruna Yakuwa.
He gave the Japanese government time to deliver a ransom saying the public had “72 hours to pressure your government in making a wise decision in paying the $200m to save the lives of your citizens – otherwise, this knife will become your nightmare.”
Both men were later executed in footage that does not feature 'Jihadi John'.