Mohammed Emwazi, who is believed to be the killer Jihadi John in several beheading videos released online by the Islamic State group, may have worn out his welcome with the terrorist organization. Emwazi reportedly fled the militant group in Syria several weeks ago, bound for North Africa.
Emwazi, once a London resident, apparently fears the militant group formerly known as either ISIL or ISIS will drop him “like a stone or worse if they feel he is no longer of any use to them,” a sourcetold the Daily Express newspaperin the U.K. The source added, “So it is possible he will end up suffering the same fate as his victims.”
The 26-year-old gained notoriety when identified as Jihadi John, who had brutally beheaded journalists and humanitarian-aid workers from the U.S. and Britain in propaganda messages released by the Islamic State group over the past year. The Express reported the loss of anonymity has terrified Emwazi.
A priority of the American and British special forces fighting the Islamic State group in Iraq and Syria is to track down Emwazi, who is concerned that jealous fellow militants may be plotting against him, the Daily Express reported.
Emwazi, a Kuwait-born U.K. immigrant who holds a degree in computer science from the University of Westminster, may be laying low with a lesser-known jihadist group in Syria. He is wanted by allied forces for questioning in the killings of James Foley, David Haines, Alan Henning, Peter Kassig andSteven Sotloff.
A former friend of Emwazi told the Express that the jihadist had not been “a good Muslim” and never wore the Islamic dress he has been seen wearing in the beheading videos. “He smoked drugs, drank and was violent towards other boys,” said the friend, who was not named in the report. “The fact he portrays himself as a strict Muslim is laughable and shameful.”
