Mohammed Emwazi, the notorious Jihadi John, has been disowned by his father,
The Daily Telegraph reported.
In a telephone conversation with a co-worker at the supermarket cooperative where he works in Kuwait — not far from the Iraq border — Jassem Emwazi, 51, reportedly characterized his son as "a dog, an animal and a terrorist."
In 2013, the son called from Turkey asking for his father's blessing as he was about to enter Syria to fight with Sunni extremists. The father reportedly told his colleague that he cursed his son and said, "I hope you die before you arrive in Syria," according to the Telegraph.
Jassem Emwazi is embarrassed to go to work or attend mosque, the co-worker, Abu Meshaal, told the Telegraph. The father feels that his son has brought a "catastrophe" upon his family.
"He was very emotional and crying the whole time," Meshaal told the Telegraph. "He said, 'My son is a dog, he is an animal, a terrorist.' He said he had talked to him a lot trying to persuade him to return to his personal life but that the son didn't listen to him. He said, 'To hell with my son.'"
The elder Emwazi was reportedly last in London in November 2013. He lives in Kuwait with his daughter, sister and mother, the Telegraph reported.
His wife is believed to be living in London. She reportedly recognized her son's voice from the first beheading video released by the Islamic State (ISIS) group, according to
ABC News.
Meanwhile,
The Guardian, citing the Kuwaiti newspaper Al-Qabas, reported that Emwazi is far from convinced that his son is Jihadi John.
"There is nothing that proves what is being circulated in the media, especially through video clips and footage, that the accused is my son, Mohammed, who is being referred to as the alleged executioner of ISIS."
He also said that reports his wife recognized her son's voice on an ISIS video were a "lie."
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