ISIS’ Now-Dead Executioner Unmasked in Raqqa for the First Time

The masked British militant Mohammed Emwazi from a video released by ISIS. PHOTO: AFP
The masked British militant Mohammed Emwazi from a video released by ISIS. PHOTO: AFP
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ISIS’ Now-Dead Executioner Unmasked in Raqqa for the First Time

The masked British militant Mohammed Emwazi from a video released by ISIS. PHOTO: AFP
The masked British militant Mohammed Emwazi from a video released by ISIS. PHOTO: AFP

British sources revealed the face of British terrorist Mohamed Emwazi, whose other names also included “Jihadi John" and "Jailer John," after receiving exclusive video footage of the terrorists inside Syria.

One of them was linked to the Manchester bombings, Raymond Matimba, according to a report published by the Telegraph daily.

Matimba, who was born in Zimbabwe but lived in Manchester before joining ISIS, was filmed in a cafe in Raqqa, Syria, talking with the likes of Mohammed Emwazi, aka Jihadi John, ISIS hacker Junaid Hussain, and recruiter Reyaad Khan.

The video seems to show that Matimba, long thought to be a fringe figure in the terror group, is actually a key figure and is now likely to be the UK's most wanted terrorists - if he is still alive.

The footage was captured by a source in Raqqa in 2014 who gave it to The Telegraph after the area of the city he lives in was liberated by US-backed SDF forces, who now have the city surrounded.

Matimba - who also goes by the name Abu Qaqa al-Britani al-Afro- is known to have links with Manchester Arena bomber Salman Abedi, as the pair were recruited to join ISIS by the same man, Raphael Hostey.

They are also thought to have visited the same mosque together in south Manchester before Matimba left the UK, first going to Barcelona and then to Turkey where he crossed into Syria.

The recorder of the video told The Telegraph that Matimba was a key figure in the Manchester attack, telling ISIS commanders that he hated the city and wanted it to become a target.

He is then thought to have exchanged messages with Abedi in the months leading up to the attack, which killed 22 people, though what was said is unclear.

The source also said Matimba was known for his skills with a rifle and trained ISIS snipers. In every photo and the video, he is shown with an AK at his side.

Matimba's fate is currently unknown. His family says he updated them on his life in Raqqa until last year when he stopped responding.

It had been reported he was killed in the fighting, but his death has never been confirmed.

Now-deceased ISIS executioner Emwazi was born in Kuwait but raised in west London, where he was reported to have enjoyed a typical childhood and schooling.

ISIS claims he was radicalized sometime in 2005, after the London bombings, before making several trips to the Middle East over the next few years.



Algeria Agrees with Italy to Tackle Terrorism, Migration at Summit

Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni shakes hands with Algerian President Abdelmadjid Tebboune during the Italy-Algeria summit at Villa Doria Pamphilj in Rome, Italy, July 23, 2025. REUTERS/Remo Casilli
Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni shakes hands with Algerian President Abdelmadjid Tebboune during the Italy-Algeria summit at Villa Doria Pamphilj in Rome, Italy, July 23, 2025. REUTERS/Remo Casilli
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Algeria Agrees with Italy to Tackle Terrorism, Migration at Summit

Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni shakes hands with Algerian President Abdelmadjid Tebboune during the Italy-Algeria summit at Villa Doria Pamphilj in Rome, Italy, July 23, 2025. REUTERS/Remo Casilli
Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni shakes hands with Algerian President Abdelmadjid Tebboune during the Italy-Algeria summit at Villa Doria Pamphilj in Rome, Italy, July 23, 2025. REUTERS/Remo Casilli

Italy and Algeria agreed to work together to fight terrorism and control migration during an intergovernmental meeting in Rome on Wednesday, documents showed, while companies signed off on deals on sectors including energy and telecommunications.

Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni met Algerian President Abdelmadjid Tebboune at the 17th-century Villa Doria Pamphili, after a trip to Algiers by Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani in March.

Algeria is Rome's leading trading partner in Africa, with trade worth almost 14 billion euros ($16.4 billion) while Rome's investments there amount to 8.5 billion, Italy said.

According to a document seen by Reuters, a memorandum will be signed between Italy and Algeria on fighting terrorism and its financing. The document did not say which threats the countries were focused on.

The two nations will also agree on a plan to coordinate the search and rescue operations for migrants who attempt the dangerous sea crossing from North Africa to Europe. Meloni's right-wing government was elected in 2022 on a mandate to curb migrant arrivals.

On the business side, Italian energy group Eni this month signed a production sharing contract with oil and gas company Sonatrach worth $1.3 billion to explore and develop hydrocarbons in Algeria.

A document said the two companies will sign an additional agreement on the sidelines of the summit to strengthen their cooperation.

Eni buys gas from Sonatrach under a long-term contract that has made the north African country one of the key fuel suppliers for Italy after Rome severed ties with Russia's Gazprom following Moscow's invasion of Ukraine.

A separate deal will involve Submarine cable company Sparkle, a unit of Telecom Italia (TIM), which is set to be sold to a consortium led by Italy's Treasury later this year.

Sparkle will sign a preliminary agreement with Algerie Telecom for a new subsea cable connecting the two countries.

"Algeria is a strategic partner, and we are working hard to make this partnership ever broader, stronger and more diversified," Foreign Minister Tajani said during a speech at a business forum with over 400 companies from the two nations.