'Jihadi John' apologizes to family, but not for beheadings
Since his identity was revealed on February 26, his family has had to go into hiding, as well as move out of their government-provided London home.
By JPOST.COM STAFF"Jihadi John," the Briton named Mohammed Emwazi(photo credit: REUTERS)
The executioner known as "Jihadi John" in a slew of Islamic State videos apologized to his parents for the trouble he has caused since his identity was revealed, the Sunday Times reported.Speaking through a third party, Mohammed Emwazi apologized to his family for "problems and trouble the revelation of his identity has caused."Since his identity was revealed on February 26, his family has had to go into hiding, as well as move out of their government-provided London home.His mother, Ghaneya, and four siblings are reportedly in hiding at a hotel with armed police guards, costing £5,000 (NIS 30,612) daily.Emwazi's father and one sister are said to have lived in Kuwait for the past two years.Lawyers for Emwazi's father continue to insist that it has not been confirmed whether or not Emwazi is the executioner seen in the Islamic State videos.The initial report of Emwazi's identity by The Washington Post said that the Briton was believed to have travelled to Syria around 2012 and to have later joined Islamic State."His real name, according to friends and others familiar with his case, is Mohammed Emwazi, a Briton from a well-to-do family who grew up in West London and graduated from college with a degree in computer programming," the Post said.In each beheading video, he is dressed entirely in black, a balaclava covering all but his eyes and the ridge of his nose. He wears a holster under his left arm.Hostages gave him the name John as he and other Britons had been nicknamed the Beatles, another was dubbed George.
The paper said he had been born in Kuwait, was raised in a middle-class neighborhood in London and occasionally prayed at a mosque in Greenwich, southeast London.Reuters contributed to this report.
