Jihadi John targeted in US drone strike in Syria

Pentagon officials checking whether drone mission to wipe out IS killer was a success

Mohammed Emwazi was named as the man thought be “Jihadi John”

13 November 2015

The Islamic State terrorist dubbed Jihadi John has been targeted in a US drone attack on Syria.

The Pentagon is investigating whether the British extremist, whose real name is Mohammed Emwazi, was killed in the attack.

A US official told the Associated Press that armed forces targeted a vehicle in Raqqa, the de facto capital of Islamic State, which was believed to be carrying Emwazi.

If his death is confirmed, it would be an important milestone in the U.S - led campaign against the group.

Extremist: Mohammed Emwazi (Picture: Rex)

Emwazi, who was born in Kuwait but raised in west London, was first identified as a key IS figure in August 2014, when he appeared in a video which showed the beheading of US journalist James Foley.

He also appeared in videos showing the killings of UK hostages Alan Henning and David Haines, American journalist Steven Sotloff, aid worker Abdul-Rahman Kassig and Japanese journalists Kenji Goto and Haruna Yukawa shortly before they were killed.

A Downing Street spokeswoman declined to comment on speculation that he had been killed today.

She said: "We are aware of the US statement about the airstrike targeting Mohammed Emwazi. Like them, we are not commenting further at this stage."

Mr Haines, an aid worker from Scotland, was executed in September last year, having been held captive for 18 months.

His daughter Bethany later said she felt families of Emwazi's victims would only feel closure "once there's a bullet between (his) eyes".

A video released a month later showed 47-year-old Salford taxi driver Mr Henning appearing to be beheaded.

His daughter Lucy said she found out he had been killed when she saw an image posted on social media site Instagram.

Emwazi appeared in the videos dressed in black with only his eves visible, and spoke with a British accent as he went on anti-western rants to the camera while wielding a knife.