The first known photograph has emerged of Mohammed Emwazi – the Islamic State militant known as “Jihadi John” – as an adult. Showing him with a goatee beard and wearing a Pittsburgh Pirates baseball cap, the image is revealed in student records from his time at the University of Westminster.
It comes after the 26-year-old who became the masked face of the notorious terror organisation was identified as the figure seen in several videos of hostages being beheaded. Sky News can also exclusively reveal details of Emwazi’s academic achievements during his stint at the university in London’s Cavendish campus, between 2006 and 2009.
According to the document, he passed all but two of the modules in his Information Systems with Business Management degree, for which he was awarded a lower second honours. An unnamed classmate told The Sun newspaper that Emwazi, who reportedly came from a devout family, was the only Muslim in the class and would demonstrate Arabic writing to the class. After completing his degree he went on to become a computer programmer before travelling to Syria in 2013 and later joining IS.