Exactly Who Is Jihadi John And Why Is He Still At Large?

Jihadi John appears to have resurfaced like a recurring nightmare.

It seems as though the same ISIS militant who has a certain gait, voice with a London accent, and throws out similar threats in various videos is trying to make the Japanese government buy the lives of two of its citizens, as reported earlier by Inquisitr.

“You now have 72 hours to pressure your government in making a wise decision, by paying the $200 million to save the lives of your citizens,” the man hiding behind a mask threatened. “Otherwise, this knife will become your nightmare.”

The militant, believed to be Jihadi John, had already been identified in September by U.S. and British intelligence, according to Jobs & Hire. However, the agencies have declined to provide any information regarding Jihadi John’s true identity.

Jihadi John’s voice has been analyzed by highly sophisticated voice-recognition software. Tiny details, from the pattern of the veins on the back of his hands to the small personal actions in the militant videos, were studied to confirm Jihadi John’s identity.

Officials who know his identity still refuse to discuss the militant’s details any further. But why?

Aki Peritz, a former CIA officer, told CNN that officials may have more to gain by holding back information from the public.

“They can put pressure on his family, put pressure on his friends. Maybe they have a line to him. Maybe they know who his cousins are who are going to Syria who can identify him. However, if you publicly tell everybody who he is, his real identity, then maybe he’ll go to ground and he’ll disappear.”

Jihadi John was rumored to have been injured or killed in an attack led by the U.S., but he appeared to be physically fine in the video which appeared on Tuesday.

“ISIS operates in what we call denied territory,” Cedric Leighton, a retired U.S. Air Force colonel, told CNN. “And that means by definition, that it’s very hard for our folks to get in there, it’s very hard for them to actually lay eyes on target.”

The FBI has offered a $10 million reward for any information leading to the capture of the masked ISIS killer.

U.S. and British military officials declined to comment on the resurfacing of the man who always hides behind a mask, and some doubts are rising as to whether authorities really know Jihadi John’s true identity.

[Image via The Telegraph]