Jihadi John was reportedly tracked by the M15 well before he left for the Middle East while still working as a low-level collector for genuine Arab charities. A source told The Daily Mirror that the MI5 has already identified journalist James Foley and Steven Sotloff’s black-masked executioner and had been following him for some time, even prior to his almost sudden radicalization and departure to the Middle East.

U.S. authorities have stated that they hope to release the jihadi’s true identity soon following their use of voice analysis and metadata from the video. CNN cited two unidentified officials claiming to have established the executioner’s identity, though they aren’t certain without a doubt. He is believed to currently be in a highly dangerous area in Syria and still alive. Both the U.S. and the U.K. hope to capture him alive before he meets his death on the battlefield.

Authorities think that it is likely that Jihadi John was chosen for his accent and that he may not have participated in the actual beheading

Counter-terrorism authorities in the U.K. have been reported to be on the verge of arresting a dozen suspected British associates of the Jihadi John, according to The Daily Record that claims that these people “provided money, contacts and facilitated travel to Syria.”

Could British rapper known as L Jinny be Jihadi John? MI5 has yet to confirm this

Initially, Jihadi John was identified as a former rapper, known as Abdel-Majet Abdel Bary (aka L Jinny), however this hasn’t been confirmed. Here are audio recordings comparing the voice of the rapper with that of Jihadi John in the gruesome video –

Could it be this man?

Authorities are now racing to save the life of the third hostage in line for execution, British ad worker David Cawthorne Haines. The reported father of two is suffering from health problems due to his cramped captivity.

David Haines and his family