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| Fate of ‘Jihadi John’ Is Unknown After Airstrike, Kerry and Cameron Say | Fate of ‘Jihadi John’ Is Unknown After Airstrike, Kerry and Cameron Say |
| (35 minutes later) | |
| LONDON — Secretary of State John Kerry and Prime Minister David Cameron of Britain said on Friday that they did not yet know the outcome of an airstrike the American military launched on Thursday to kill Mohammed Emwazi, the Islamic State’s most notorious executioner. | LONDON — Secretary of State John Kerry and Prime Minister David Cameron of Britain said on Friday that they did not yet know the outcome of an airstrike the American military launched on Thursday to kill Mohammed Emwazi, the Islamic State’s most notorious executioner. |
| The two officials spoke, in separate briefings in Tunis and London, the morning after the Pentagon confirmed that the airstrike, near the Islamic State stronghold of Raqqa, Syria, had targeted Mr. Emwazi, a 27-year-old British citizen who became known as Jihadi John. | The two officials spoke, in separate briefings in Tunis and London, the morning after the Pentagon confirmed that the airstrike, near the Islamic State stronghold of Raqqa, Syria, had targeted Mr. Emwazi, a 27-year-old British citizen who became known as Jihadi John. |
| On Friday, a senior official with the United States military said it had used a Reaper drone armed with Hellfire missiles to attack a car in which Mr. Emwazi and another militant were thought to be traveling. “We think we got him,” said the official, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss operational details, adding that it could take a few days to get solid confirmation. | |
| Calling the Islamic State an “evil terrorist death cult,” Mr. Cameron defended the decision to target Mr. Emwazi, who was born in Kuwait and is a naturalized British citizen, as “an act of self-defense” and “the right thing to do.” | Calling the Islamic State an “evil terrorist death cult,” Mr. Cameron defended the decision to target Mr. Emwazi, who was born in Kuwait and is a naturalized British citizen, as “an act of self-defense” and “the right thing to do.” |
| “We have been working, with the United States, literally around the clock to track him down,” Mr. Cameron said. “This was a combined effort, and the contribution of both our countries was essential. Emwazi is a barbaric murderer.” | “We have been working, with the United States, literally around the clock to track him down,” Mr. Cameron said. “This was a combined effort, and the contribution of both our countries was essential. Emwazi is a barbaric murderer.” |
| Using an alternative acronym for the Islamic State, which is also known as ISIS, Mr. Cameron added, “He was ISIL’s lead executioner, and let us never forget that he killed many, many Muslims, too.” | Using an alternative acronym for the Islamic State, which is also known as ISIS, Mr. Cameron added, “He was ISIL’s lead executioner, and let us never forget that he killed many, many Muslims, too.” |
| At a news conference in Tunis, Mr. Kerry confirmed that the outcome of the airstrike was not yet known but said that it should serve as a warning. | At a news conference in Tunis, Mr. Kerry confirmed that the outcome of the airstrike was not yet known but said that it should serve as a warning. |
| “We are still assessing the results of this strike, but the terrorists associated with Daesh need to know this: Your days are numbered, and you will be defeated,” Mr. Kerry said, using an Arabic acronym for the Islamic State. “There is no future, no path forward for Daesh, which does not lead ultimately to its elimination, to its destruction.” | “We are still assessing the results of this strike, but the terrorists associated with Daesh need to know this: Your days are numbered, and you will be defeated,” Mr. Kerry said, using an Arabic acronym for the Islamic State. “There is no future, no path forward for Daesh, which does not lead ultimately to its elimination, to its destruction.” |
| Civil liberties advocates have criticized any official British attempt to kill Mr. Emwazi as possibly unlawful, in a debate that paralleled the criticism over the Obama administration’s decision to target and kill Anwar al-Awlaki, an American-born cleric and a United States citizen, in Yemen in 2011. | Civil liberties advocates have criticized any official British attempt to kill Mr. Emwazi as possibly unlawful, in a debate that paralleled the criticism over the Obama administration’s decision to target and kill Anwar al-Awlaki, an American-born cleric and a United States citizen, in Yemen in 2011. |
| Mr. Emwazi, who was first known only as an unidentified, masked man with a British accent, first came to prominence in August 2014, when the Islamic State released a video in which the journalist James Foley was shown reading a statement criticizing President Obama and the American military operation against the Islamic State in Iraq. His captor then beheaded him off camera and then threatened to behead another journalist, Steven J. Sotloff, if his demands were not met. | Mr. Emwazi, who was first known only as an unidentified, masked man with a British accent, first came to prominence in August 2014, when the Islamic State released a video in which the journalist James Foley was shown reading a statement criticizing President Obama and the American military operation against the Islamic State in Iraq. His captor then beheaded him off camera and then threatened to behead another journalist, Steven J. Sotloff, if his demands were not met. |
| Two weeks later, the Islamic State released a video showing the masked man beheading Mr. Sotloff. | Two weeks later, the Islamic State released a video showing the masked man beheading Mr. Sotloff. |
| The Washington Post revealed Mr. Emwazi’s identity in February, reporting that he grew up in a well-off family that moved to Britain when he was a child, and that he had a degree in computer science from the University of Westminster. The revelation touched off intense examination of the causes of radicalization among Muslim immigrants in Europe. | The Washington Post revealed Mr. Emwazi’s identity in February, reporting that he grew up in a well-off family that moved to Britain when he was a child, and that he had a degree in computer science from the University of Westminster. The revelation touched off intense examination of the causes of radicalization among Muslim immigrants in Europe. |
| Mr. Emwazi was part of a group of young men, called the “North London Boys” by some intelligence analysts, who traveled to Somalia, Syria and other Muslim countries to engage in organized violence. | Mr. Emwazi was part of a group of young men, called the “North London Boys” by some intelligence analysts, who traveled to Somalia, Syria and other Muslim countries to engage in organized violence. |
| British officials have said that Mr. Emwazi was on a list of potential terror suspects since 2009, but they have acknowledged that they were unable to prevent him from traveling to Syria. | British officials have said that Mr. Emwazi was on a list of potential terror suspects since 2009, but they have acknowledged that they were unable to prevent him from traveling to Syria. |
| The airstrike came as scant consolation to Louise Woodward-Styles, a friend of the British aid worker Alan Henning, one of Mr. Emwazi’s victims. In a phone interview on Friday, she said that there would be no “closure, particularly for Alan’s family and close friends.” | The airstrike came as scant consolation to Louise Woodward-Styles, a friend of the British aid worker Alan Henning, one of Mr. Emwazi’s victims. In a phone interview on Friday, she said that there would be no “closure, particularly for Alan’s family and close friends.” |
| His brother, Reg Henning, told the BBC, “I was glad to hear he had been killed, but I would have preferred him to have been brought to justice.” A trial, he added, might have “dragged on for months and months.” | His brother, Reg Henning, told the BBC, “I was glad to hear he had been killed, but I would have preferred him to have been brought to justice.” A trial, he added, might have “dragged on for months and months.” |
| Bethany Haines, the daughter of another victim, David Cawthorne Haines, said she felt “an instant sense of relief” in learning about the attack, because it meant “he wouldn’t appear in anymore horrific videos.” | Bethany Haines, the daughter of another victim, David Cawthorne Haines, said she felt “an instant sense of relief” in learning about the attack, because it meant “he wouldn’t appear in anymore horrific videos.” |
| Mr. Cameron on Friday praised the United States’ decision to target Mr. Emwazi, saying: “The United Kingdom has no better friend or ally.” | Mr. Cameron on Friday praised the United States’ decision to target Mr. Emwazi, saying: “The United Kingdom has no better friend or ally.” |
| He added, “If this strike was successful — and we still await confirmation of that — it will be a strike at the heart of ISIL, and it will demonstrate to those who would do Britain, our people and our allies harm we have a long reach, we have unwavering determination and we never forget about our citizens.” | He added, “If this strike was successful — and we still await confirmation of that — it will be a strike at the heart of ISIL, and it will demonstrate to those who would do Britain, our people and our allies harm we have a long reach, we have unwavering determination and we never forget about our citizens.” |
| Mr. Cameron then recited a list of Mr. Emwazi’s reported victims: Kenji Goto, a journalist, and Haruna Yukawa, an adventurer, both Japanese; the American journalists, Mr. Foley and Mr. Sotloff; the American aid worker Peter Kassig, also known as Abdul-Rahman Kassig; and two British aid workers, Mr. Haines and Mr. Henning. | Mr. Cameron then recited a list of Mr. Emwazi’s reported victims: Kenji Goto, a journalist, and Haruna Yukawa, an adventurer, both Japanese; the American journalists, Mr. Foley and Mr. Sotloff; the American aid worker Peter Kassig, also known as Abdul-Rahman Kassig; and two British aid workers, Mr. Haines and Mr. Henning. |
| “Nothing will bring back David and Alan,” Mr. Cameron said. “Their courage and selflessness stand in stark contrast to the empty callousness of their murderers. Their friends and their families should be proud of them, as we are. They were the best of British, and they will be remembered long after the murderers of ISIL are forgotten.” | “Nothing will bring back David and Alan,” Mr. Cameron said. “Their courage and selflessness stand in stark contrast to the empty callousness of their murderers. Their friends and their families should be proud of them, as we are. They were the best of British, and they will be remembered long after the murderers of ISIL are forgotten.” |
| The leader of the opposition Labour Party, Jeremy Corbyn, said that Mr. Emwazi should ideally have faced trial. “It appears Mohammed Emwazi has been held to account for his callous and brutal crimes,” Mr. Corbyn said in a statement on Friday. “However, it would have been far better for us all if he had been held to account in a court of law. These events only underline the necessity of accelerating international efforts, under the auspices of the U.N., to bring an end to the Syrian conflict as part of a comprehensive regional settlement.” | The leader of the opposition Labour Party, Jeremy Corbyn, said that Mr. Emwazi should ideally have faced trial. “It appears Mohammed Emwazi has been held to account for his callous and brutal crimes,” Mr. Corbyn said in a statement on Friday. “However, it would have been far better for us all if he had been held to account in a court of law. These events only underline the necessity of accelerating international efforts, under the auspices of the U.N., to bring an end to the Syrian conflict as part of a comprehensive regional settlement.” |
| In August, a British drone strike, its first inside Syria, killed three people suspected of being members of the Islamic State, including two British citizens, Reyaad Khan and Ruhul Amin. | In August, a British drone strike, its first inside Syria, killed three people suspected of being members of the Islamic State, including two British citizens, Reyaad Khan and Ruhul Amin. |
| Britain is not formally taking part in military action in Syria — its Parliament having rejected such an intervention two years ago — but Britain and France are involved in the American-led air campaign against Islamic State targets. | Britain is not formally taking part in military action in Syria — its Parliament having rejected such an intervention two years ago — but Britain and France are involved in the American-led air campaign against Islamic State targets. |
| In 2009, after returning from a trip to Africa, Mr. Emwazi contacted Cage, a British advocacy organization, to complain that he had been harassed by British security services. | In 2009, after returning from a trip to Africa, Mr. Emwazi contacted Cage, a British advocacy organization, to complain that he had been harassed by British security services. |
| In a statement on Friday, Cage said that Mr. Emwazi “should have been tried as a war criminal” and expressed concern about the attack aimed at him. “State-sponsored targeted assassinations undercut the judicial processes that provide the lessons by which spirals of violence can be stopped,” it said. | In a statement on Friday, Cage said that Mr. Emwazi “should have been tried as a war criminal” and expressed concern about the attack aimed at him. “State-sponsored targeted assassinations undercut the judicial processes that provide the lessons by which spirals of violence can be stopped,” it said. |