London rapper suspected in Foley beheading

Cape Town – A British rapper has been identified as a suspect in the beheading of US journalist James Foley, according to UK media reports.

The Sunday Times reports that M15 and M16 have identified the key suspect as Abdel-Majed Abdel Bary, 23, who is also called ‘Jihadi John’ by fellow Islamic State militants.

According to The Sydney Morning Herald, the rapper left his family home in West London to fight in the civil war in Syria last year and in August tweeted a photo of himself wearing military fatigues while holding a severed head.

The aspiring rapper, known as L Jinny, was previously featured on BBC Radio 1 and recordings of his songs will prove vital to the investigating team who are using voice recognition technology, said the report.

US journalist James Foley was allegedly beheaded last week by the Islamic State after being missing in Syria for two years.

The recorded beheading was intended as a “message to America” in response to US attacks on IS targets.