What is known about the executioner James Foley – Le Nouvel Observateur

James Foley he was executed by a British jihadist? For Prime Minister David Cameron is “increasingly likely” due to the “English accent” the executioner of American journalist. The United States is also came to the same conclusion. But what do we know about this jihadist? The “New Observer” reported on the initial assumptions.

A British accent

“We have not yet identified the individual responsible for this act, but so far as we can tell, it seems increasingly likely that they are a British citizen, “said David Cameron at the end of one of the many crisis meetings he chaired Wednesday.

The State Department confirmed: “From what we saw, it seemed increasingly likely that they are a British citizen.”

According to government figures 400 to 500 Britons have traveled to Iraq and Syria for two years. Police made this year a record number of 69 arrests, according to the count of the BBC, against 24 in 2013.

A Londoner

According to two experts in linguistics, questioned by the newspaper “The Guardian”, the executioner James Foley could be from London or region.

The first expert, Paul Kerswill, University of York, said the executioner s’ express “in English multicultural” feature of the East-end London. “He probably has a foreign background but it seems that this is a multicultural London English, spoken by people of different origins are mixed in the East-end, a new kind of ‘cockney’ [slang or dialect of the London suburb, Ed] , “he said.

Claire Hardaker, University of Lancaster, the jihadist is from the south-west England and “most probably in London, Kent and Essex.”

“John”, the leader of a unit of British

The British daily relays also the testimony of a former hostage who advance, for its part, the assumption that the executioner would be the head of a unit of “British fighters” who detained several Western hostages in Syria. This would call John and is originally from London.

It might even be the chief negotiator of the rebel movement in talks earlier this year, leading to the release of 11 hostages kidnapped by the Islamic state, finally handed over to the Turkish authorities, after the payment of a ransom.

A representative of the Foley family and a former hostage held with him, quoted by the “New York Times “, the Islamic state would also sought a ransom of several million dollars in exchange for James Foley. Ransom that the United States had refused to pay.

A former hostage held for a year in Raqqa, describes the British executioner as someone “intelligent, educated and a devout believer in radical Islamic teachings. ” He would be the leader of three British jihadists, designated as “The Beatles” by the hostages because of their nationality. However no certainty yet.

On Thursday morning, the British press has in turn launched a real manhunt, calling for “find the British butcher behind the mask.”