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US DEFENCE SOURCES have said they are “99% sure” a drone strike has killed British Islamic State militant Jihadi John.
The militant, whose real name is Mohammed Emwazi, has featured in a number of videos in which Western hostages were beheaded. These included US journalists Steven Sotloff and James Foley, aid workers Adbul-Rahman Kassig, David Haines and Alan Henning and Japanese tourist Kenji Goto.
Though Pentagon press secretary Peter Cook said it was not clear whether Emwazi had been killed in the strike, a senior defence official told Fox News: “We are 99% sure we got him. We were on him for some time.”
A source also told ABC News that the operation had been “flawless” and a “clean hit”.
British Prime Minister David Cameron said officials are not certain whether the strike killed Emwazi.
He said the strike had been a joint effort and that British intelligence agencies were working around the clock to find the British-accented militant, whom he called the militant group”s “lead executioner.”
Cameron also said the US strike had been “an act of self-defence” and the right thing to do. He said targeting Emwazi was “a strike at the heart” of the Islamic State group.
Following news of the strike, the mother of victim Steven Sotloff told NBC news that even if the militant had been killed “it doesn’t bring my son back”.
Who knows if he’s gone. I don’t think there will ever be closure.
“Sadistic and merciless”
Jihadi John” was six years old when his family moved to London. He grew up in North Kensington, a middle-class area where a network of Islamist extremists was uncovered in recent years.
As a child, he was a fan of Manchester United football club and the band S Club 7, according to a 1996 school year book published by The Sun. He later went on to study information technology at the University of Westminster.
Court papers published by British media connected Emwazi to a network of extremists known as “The London Boys” that were originally trained by al-Shabab, Al-Qaeda’s East Africa affiliate.
One hostage who fell under Emwazi’s control in the IS group’s hub in Raqa talked of a “cold, sadistic and merciless” killer.
- With reporting from AFP and Associated Press.
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Fond memories of it growing up
@Arthur Pewty: Hup ya boyo! There’s life in the auld tuuurkey yet.
@Arthur Pewty: I remember the “bold” puppet Ted would appear and attack aul Ray once in a blue moon. It’d be the talk of the yard the next day while trading Pokemon cards.
@Daisy Smith: does anyone remember a segment on Friday evenings called the rotten apple. They had a disco ball and ray wore a blue glitter jacket?
Or the dreamstone cartoon. Jesus I loved that
@Daisy Smith: Ray Darcy’s commitment when Ted was thrown at him was absolutely BRILLIANT.
@John kane: LOVED DREAMSTONE
Twas brilliant tv growing up. Remember they used to reenact a fairytale each week and completely wing it, breaking character throughout as they p.1ssed themselves laughing. Or when Dustin was buying up yellow bangers for weeks without revealing much, and suddenly the Den was a taxi rank. The original Podge was terrifying. Great times…
@Phil Mc Donald: great times!
@Phil Mc Donald: oh lord yeah when Podge first arrived he was freaky… And he after Zig!
@Phil Mc Donald: Storytime or something! I remember Zig told the story and Zag always liked to play the princess or any character with a long wig that he kept swinging out of his eyes.
@Phil Mc Donald: Ioved the Christmas ones as well, Podge even followed them to lapland :P and whenever Ireland were playing matches that evening they would have Eamonn Grumpy and Johnny Styles doing commentary segments
I grew up with dempseys den then dent tv, one day I was off school sick and wrote a letter to their make me smile segment. I said I would love to meet Mary Robinson , I was 10/11 and hugely into learning about women in history/of power. Months later we got a call and within weeks myself, along with 2 other kids were brought in a limousine to the Aras, had tea and a chat with Mary, a tour of the Aras and she invited us to stay on to see the Venezuelan ambassador to Ireland’s inauguration ceremony. A lady who was her aid and I’m sure was Joan Burton (I could be wrong on that!) told us it was a very big honour to be invited to such a ceremony. I’ve contacted RTÉ archives but not much help I would love to track down the footage?
@Trina Murphy: *Den tv
@Trina Murphy: that’s a brilliant story. I suggest you contact the archives section of RTE at archives@rte.ie. Hopefully they’ll help.
“What does the sheep say?” Baa, “what does the pig say?” “Would you mind stepping out of the car sir”!!! hahahaha
@Marie Agnew: HAHAHAHAHAHA
@Cat Reid:
I remember them doing that live
Before everyone became so soft
@Cat Reid: Including Ray
@Murr Paul: ray was great on it, and even years later was on top of his game on today fm. Its like his return to RTE has sucked every bitta talent out of him….no matter who hes talkin to pr what it’s about it usually ends up about his mrs, kildare town or a terrible fake laugh.
@Murr Paul: gone are the days when people could be a bit more abstract on telly. Every one is so uptight and over prepared.
@Cat Reid: afraid of their lives they might offend someone
When you remember each of the sets as they appearr.
It was on at the perfect time, two and a half hours of it when school was finished.
We used to tape it and watch it after work, fast forwarding through the programs only watching the banter from Ian and the Z brothers. Great memories – and I was well into my twenties at the time!
@David Hughes: Dustin is great crack. He always makes me laugh
Dustin’s still got it, I’m surprised he doesn’t have a slot somewhere on tv anymore.
@Rochelle: There was dustins daily news for a time
@Rochelle: He is still hilarious. He sometimes does a bit on today FM, i hear it at work, i forget the DJs name, shes on after 12, and Dustin sometimes is a guest, hilarious, its just the insults he throws at various personalities, he is the only one who could get away with that, maybe because hes a different species
@Pauline Gallagher: Mairead Ronan
Oh the random things i found hilarious on it. This female voice would come out of nowhere and say: ‘Tom Cruise’ and Ray would just start laughing. Talent on the Telly bit, The Rotten Apple Club, Podges surprise shock appearances, and the great thing about the 90s was that kids actually watched kids terrestrial tv! and teenagers i was watching the den after school well into the 90s even though i was a little too old and at secondary school.
Children’s TV has got terrible since the 90s
My dad was a tv repair man. Every day he would “test” tvs that he had repaired at work by having the Den on. He loved it. He used to come home asking did we see such and such and what Dustin said. Of course we could only respond with no because we were doing or homework boo.
Ted getting launched in through the window at Ray for a full on wrestle! Fair play to Darcy, he was top class back then. Brilliant TV, brings backs memories.
World class , legendary comedy ! It’s their fault I failed my Leaving Cert as I got NO studying done. Worth it !!!
Amazing how RTÉ have airbrushed Ian Dempsey out, all because he got a better offer at Today FM. Will they ever get over themselves. That said Dempsey’s Den and the Den was great children’s tv.
Billow Hurling, Johnny Styles and Amoan Grumpy at the World Cup.. If I remember the names properly.. Great stuff!
@Valthebear: There’s no Con Kearney on the Chile team Bill!
and look at what they a wasting money now donal boiling a very free range egg for the lof
Dustin a legend
This letter came all the way from Australia Dustin. “I’ll bet that hurt”
Off to the DG’s office for Dustin !
Ah some great memories of it growing up. I used to have a massive Zig and Zag poster on my wall. I absolutely loved when they’d go to Lapland at Christmas or a haunted house at Halloween. Nothing beats it.
Always felt zig was trying to be Eric Morecombe
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