Hunt for masked butcher identified as 'John' - a Londoner in gang of UK homegrown jihadis known as 'The Beatles'

The fanatic who beheaded an American journalist was last night named as one of a gang of British jihadis known as ‘The Beatles’.

As a massive manhunt was launched, a former hostage said he believed the masked Islamic State maniac was a Londoner he had known as ‘John’.

The security services are also close to establishing the identity of the killer who cut James Foley’s throat in a horrific propaganda video.

Said to be a senior Islamic State operative, he was trusted earlier this year to negotiate a hostage exchange.

As David Cameron broke off his holiday to deal with the crisis, further evidence emerged of the prominent role British jihadis are playing in Iraq.

Some celebrated and joked about Mr Foley’s murder, with one woman fighter volunteering to be the next to kill a UK or US captive.

Experts warned Britons are among the most vicious of the Islamic State’s fanatics and one may have been chosen to carry out the killing because of the global impact it would have. In other developments:

 

Yesterday, a man who was held in the Syrian city of Raqqa claimed the fanatic is intelligent, educated and a follower of radical Islamic teachings.

He said international hostages called ‘John’ and his fellow Britons The Beatles because they were from the UK.

Anti-terror investigators are now seeking to establish that the voice in the video is that of the man brandishing the knife before Mr Foley, rather than a voiceover.

The Briton’s role as a negotiator and self-styled executioner shows the extent to which British Muslims have become embedded in IS. It will also raise questions as to whether enough is being done to stem the flow of UK fighters to Syria and Iraq.