ISIS News: Beheading Suspect 'Jihadi John' Identified

Soon after the video showing the beheading of American James Foley was released mid-August this year, language experts have pegged the black-clad ISIS fighter speaking beside the journalist, and two other innocent individuals, as having a British accent. This spurred a hunt for the masked man in the video, which has now yielded a positive identification of the previously unknown figure, according to CNN.

"The United States believes it has identified the ISIS militant in the video showing American journalist James Foley's killing, FBI Director James Comey said Thursday," the news source reported. "Comey did not publicly identify the man."

The FBI reportedly believe that the ISIS fighter who spoke in all three beheading videos, which showed the execution of Foley, American reporter Steven Sotloff, and British aid worker David Haines, respectively, is one and the same person.

"A European government source familiar with the investigation said that the accent indicated that the man was from London and likely from a community of Asian immigrants," Reuters said. "U.S. and European officials said the principal investigative work identifying the man was conducted by British government agencies."

Although the actual decapitation of all three was not shown in the footage uploaded on YouTube, the clips implied the masked man was the one who did the deeds. "The videos did not show him actually drawing blood from the victims but faded to black after he finished his speeches and then cut to pictures of the beheaded bodies," Reuters added.

Meanwhile, U.S. analysts say it is impossible to know who exactly killed the hostages based solely on the videos. However, it was reported later in August that UK weas close to identifying the ISIS member in question.

It can be recalled that a London rapper was one of those suspected to be the man in the ISIS videos.

Abdel-Majed Abdel Bary "was a rising star who performed under the name L Jinny before leaving his parents' £1million home in Maida Vale to fight in Syria," the Daily Mail noted. "Bary is one of three British men who have emerged as potential identities for the masked extremist who killed James Foley in a brutal propaganda video."

"Bary, 23, Abu Hussain Al-Britani, 20, a computer hacker from Birmingham, and Abu Abdullah al-Britani, in his 20s, from Portsmouth, have been mooted as identities for 'John'," the British publication added. Some of the suspects reportedly had voices and used language similar to the one heard in the ISIS video.

The reason authorities are remaining tight-lipped about the identified ISIS militant was so that it would be easier for them to capture those involved in the beheadings, Reuters said.