have done, well we have identified this jihadi john, something has happened.e become aware jihadi john and his associates are aware they have been identified. maybe they have gone underground. our services, let's put this out. let's shake it up a little bit, see what movement we get. that would be one reason. you never know. send call side maybe for political purposes to show we're ahead of the game but i doesn't that is the case. heather: maybe shake it up and see what comes as a result. are you confident somebody in our government or one of our allies, since we apparently know who this guy is, is going to go out and try to snatch-and-grab him? >> yes. i mean, identifying was the first step. then again, building this target list of those around them. you know and i think that there is no doubt we've gotten very good at this, certainly in concert with our british allies, services there. we've got very good at this part of the war on terror. so will we be actively targeting them and you know, are his days numbered? absolutely. i would hope that that will includ

how exactly would they go about placing jihadi john under arrest? this is going to be something that's going to be a joint effort. the department of defense, state department, the white house, the fbi, in connection with british authorities trying to figure out how to take this man off the chess onboard carol. it could be a challenge because you have to think he could be in a very dangerous environment and syria and iraq, but authorities have a lot of tools in their toolbox. they have to assess the intelligence they have, assess how good that intelligence is, and make the decision from there what kind of tool they want to use to bring him to justice. carol? >> understood. pamela brown reporting live from washington, thanks so much. i'm back in a minute. ♪ ♪ imagine the luxury... of not being here. the power you want with the fuel economy you dream of. performance with a conscience. this is volvo innovating for you. whenwork with equity experts who work with regional experts who work with portfolio management experts that's when expertise happens. mf

we saw him kneeling at the hands of this man we know as jihadi john waving a knife over him, pretty muchike steven sotloff and james foley before them, but the video with john cantley was different, he was sitting at a desk, almost broadcast news style. his hands were not tied. he was free to move his hands around, and at one stage he said oh, you may think that i'm making this statement because i'm a prisoner, and then kind of puts two fingers to his head as if to say well, yes, i am a prisoner, of course, and he says, but what i'm going to be doing over the next few days, over the next few weeks is bringing you a series of programs, a series of reports to tell you about the truth of isis, so we're going to have to keep our eyes on really what the focus of that is, and how he is treated, but certainly in the case of alan henning, a taxi driver from northern england, there's a sense there that the clock is really ticking down for him. >> it's all worthwhile when you see what is needed actually get to where it needs to go. >> reporter: that was christmas day last year, big-hearted taxi dr

he was kneeling beside the man is now named jihadi john.nd british authorities now saying they are getting closer to identifying jihadi john. take a listen to what british foreign secretary philip hammond had to say in an interview with cnn. >> well, we're getting warm. we're working on it. there's a big investigation going on and we're getting warm. >> reporter: what does that mean? you don't know for sure. >> we're beginning to narrow down the field but i don't want to say any more than that. >> reporter: well, british-led participation over air strikes still a question. british prime minister david cameron expected to address the u.n. assembly later today. and there is speculation that he could recall parliament on that question as early as friday. john. >> erin mclaughlin for us in london. the outpouring of support for alan henning has been remarkable. >> absolutely. >>> this just into cnn radical muslim cleric abu qatada expected to be freed today after a court acquitted him. he was accused of a plot to kill terrorists in the year 2000

the man they call jihade jihadi john in the press.ces cited in the british media say based on satellite surveillance and on sensors that can track the movement on the ground of these people, they've honed in on jihadi john, but releasing that information now or raiding homes of his family and friends, they say, could jeopardize any hostage rescue. back to you. >> thanks very much. let's turn now to domestic politics, specifically the democrats. 2016 and a certain iowa steak fry. joe biden heads to iowa after a trip last week to new hampshire. with a tough act to follow. on sunday hillary and bill clinton attended outgoing senator tom harkin's 37th and final steak fry democratic fund-raisers. clintons both gave speeches. however, the secretary of state was mum on the topic of everyone's minds. will she finally just say she's running for president? >> hello, iowa! i'm back! it is true. i am thinking about it. but -- but for today, that is not why i'm here. i'm here for the steak. >> nbc political reporter perry bacon joins me live from

the man the media is calling jihadi john. we understand from security sources that isis is still holding two american and two british hostages. and that authorities using satellite surveillance and sensors to track movement on the ground, they're pretty sure, they say, about the identity and general location of this jihadi john. one security source cited by "the london times" this morning. for instarngs raiding the homes of his family and friends here in the kuuk could jeopardize an host a hostage. >> congress could go along with the administration's plan to fight isis. with me now, the ranking member of the house intelligence committee. congressman, thanks for being with us me. >> good morning. >> as i'm sure, the white house, friends in the region, or the united states. are you comfortable that the current strategy, as you understand it, can actually achieve that? >> definitely. the first thing we have to do is we have to take out isis. we have to smash them down. you have to go after the leadership. you have to have a plan

. -- "jihadi john" with this london accent. russian president vladimir putin is setting the agenda for the nato summit. in the editorial, the times takes a look at urgent challenges facing nato. one major question is whether nato is up to the challenge of pushing back an expansionist prudent. that is what the "new york times" wonders and the independent agrees. this is really a need -- a wake-up call for nato. the russian very stepping out of its dan, is what it says for -- out of it tden, is what it says. there is no point standing around while vladimir putin flouts the law. and there was a cartoon in the washington post where you could see vladimir couldn't chopping up ukraine as if it were a state, really. on the one hand, there is ukraine and "mykraine" for vladimir putin. a call for a crackdown on jobless benefit fraud by tightening controls on unemployed people. they talk about job seekers under surveillance. the minister was called to order and he ended up going back on his statement saying he did not mean to stigmatize

he's known as jihadi john, speaking with a british accent. they are using voice and facial analysis and studying the back drop. computer illustrations are constructing a composite of his face. they believe he's somewhere in syria, so finding him could be difficult. >> i think it's going to be in the short-term maybe extremely difficult to locate him until we degrade their operations a little further. >> reporter: meanwhile in the perry ch persian gulf, dropping more than 240 bombs in just three days. taking aim at the isis stronghold of raqqah in syria. and trying to stop the state-controlled oil business by destroying refineries that once generated millions a day. >> they are not pumping out any refined oil, out petroleum, any time soon. >> reporter: great britain could be joining the countries in iraq soon. the house of commons has a vote for today. >> what's the best estimate for how many americans are fighting alongside isis in syria? >> reporter: this is a huge problem. about a dozen on the ground there now. and more than a hundred have

the man in the mask known by the nickname jihadi john. sources say authorities have used a variety of techniques to try to learn his true identity. listen. the isis radical speaks in a british accent. >> you have plotted against us. >> reporter: that voice has been compared to known recordings and intelligence officials have been allowing informants to listen to it. authorities searched for a match with his eyes, his hand and examined the desert background from the tapes, identifying plant growth and rock formations. and they've used computer simulations like this to try to construct a composite of a man's face to compare with photographs of known terrorism suspects. if i director james comey told me and a small group of reporters he is now confident he knows who this man is. but he refused to reveal his name. >> the big question tonight, pierre, if they know who this man is, where he is tonight? >> reporter: intelligence officials believe he's somewhere in syria, but they admit they don't know for sure. an intensive manhunt is now under

jihadi john beheads british hostage. jihadi joan is a reference to what appears a british militant in the video. and there will be a lot of questions today as to who this man is and why and if british authorities will ever be able to bring him to justice. >> this isis video basically telling the uk to stay out of the fight but many experts request whether it might do the opposite and inspire the uk to get into it more so. >> a lot of analysts are questioning whether this is designed to stop the coalition or goad it on. in all likelihood the british resolve will stay the same. it will be committed to the coalition. the only question is whether it will bring in more military force to help with the coalition and if in the past the british public was reluctant to commit military forces once they see british citizens executed it may in fact strengthen their resolve to finally send in some sort of military support. >> we appreciate your reporting. >>> still ahead on cnn, isis is continuing with its plan to take over parts of ir

now known as jihadi john. the time because he was collecting funds for the terror group. but not doing anything more than that, or so they thought. f.b.i. agents in the u.k. joined the british task force in trying to hunt him down. they will reveal his identity within a few days. >>> new fears this morning for americans who are traveling overseas. this after a u.s. air marshal is stabbed with a syringe that was filled with a mysterious liquid as he was just about to go through security at an airport in nigeria. he was flown to houston, texas and put in quarantine and given medication as a precaution. >> why did this person target u.s. marshal as soon as did this person knowingly target u.s. marshals? and was it for the intent of producing terror? >> what is in that syringe is being looked at by the f.b.i. and also the cdc. >>> ebola is on its way to america once again. a fourth american doctor who got that disease while he was working in west africa will be zone to dobbins air reserve base this morning and tak

. >> amy robach joins us and we now knew you're looking for jihady john. >> reporter: yes, matt, comingp next on "good morning america." there was a big error on the airport runway forcing two flights to turn around, they are investigating the lands systems and why they shut off unexpectedly. the officer opening fire on a unarmed driver the driver is speaking out this morning and the change he hopes will come from the terrifying experience. >> it is a play right out of a movie script for derek jeter, a dramatic hit to win the game and victory for his home field finale. we'll take a look at that dazzling finish and the most buzz groom to be and soon to be wife are kicking off a three-day wedding celebration. we have the the latest on the lavish festivities in venice. it's coming up on "good morning america." >> it must be nice to be mr. clooney. it must be nice to be mrs. clooney, too. this is 309 northbound approaching paper mill road we can see the vehicle kind of slammed into the median barrier facing the wrong way. roads are dry, it's hard to imagine why a single vehicle accident thi

the executioner known as jihadi john is behind the beheadings of james foley and steven sotloff and john haines. we will have more on the breaking story coming up in a live report at 5:30. >>> now to another fox news alert. eric hold her resigning as attorney general after a tumultuous sixth term. we have a closer look at the specific question why now? >> that is a great yes. it is bitter sweet. the president holding the career record on civil rights all of the way to corruption and prosecution. >> that's why i made him america's lawyer, the people's lawyer. that comes with a big portfolio from counter-terrorism to civil rights. public corruption and white collar crime. america has done a superb job. >> he is the most controversial attorney general ever, the botched gun run scanned el the fast and furious holding them in contempt and refusing to keep them involved in conservative groups. john core nan said his continued willingness to put politics before the law is something that gave -- he stayed in line with the president on issues such as closing of guantanamo bay even weighing in aft

they call him jihadi john in the u.k. we are getting messages from inside the british intelligence community. they are clear who that individual - who that individual is, but the trick now is, of course, finding his whereabouts. finally the beheadings. is this i.s.i.l. sending a clear message that's having an effect, because it also seems to be holding turkey back, because turkey is a crucial part of this, it has a huge border with syria and iraq. it could really fight i.s.i.l. more easily than anyone else. the problem is they have 49 diplomats held hostage by i.s.i.l. >> absolutely right. one of the many things that turkey faces is the fact that they have a number of their own nationals held by i.s.i.l. but turkey is deeply engrained in the situation. it's very interesting that you draw the paint that the i.s.i.l. video and beheadings are actually making people very cautious about what they do, and that's been felt here in britain and all the metrics are brought into consideration, but most nations who are concerned abou

organizers of the appeal has a direct message to this man, the black cloud isis executioner known as jihadi john. also believed to be british. >> john, we as muslims are here to preserve life. we can't continue this barbaric action. turn back, face justice and repent. >> those who travel to syria with henning have steered clear of tough talk. adopting instead a softer voice. >> your prisoner alan henning traveled with us several times to syria on all occasions we brought him with us under our care and protection. >> there may be sharp differences in tone but all those now appealing to isis agree that cab by with the heart of gold cannot be left to die. >> no sacrifice we do is nothing compared to what they're going through every day. >> reporter: karl penhaul, cnn, london. >> what a nice man. so hope he can be spared. >>> turkey's president says a covert rescue operation by turkish intelligence was responsible for freeing nearly 50 turkish captives, the group including a null of diplomats have been held since june. they were taken when militants raided the consulate in mosul. >>> kurdish fighter

he's been nicknamed "jihadi john"... the man seen on an "isis" video, standing beside foley, moments before he was beheaded. investigators won't release his name... but they believe he is a muslim militant from london. several british newspapers have said he is a failed rapper who joined "isis" last year. taking a look at the *other top stories this morning. attorney general eric holder is stepping down after six years on the job. he announced yesterday he will leave as soon as president obama finds a replacement. holder said he never intended to stay for the duration of the president's second term. he's stepping down now because the justice department is running smoothly. only two of president obama's original cabinet members now remain. a fire destroyed a warehouse on the city's west side. that happened at the harris ice house, on the 39-hundred block of west harrison. officials say roofers were working on the building when something sparked the fire. firefighters had to deal with exploding propane tanks and ammonia, w

called jihadi john. this is an individual conducting videos, stepping into an knlish authority this, they are close to having identified him. some believe he has been identified. now it's a matter of hunting down and finding him. the numbers of fighters going to the region is of concern to the government in london. >> david haines was a british hero. >> reporter: british prime minister david cameron calls the o apparent beheading of aid worker david haines, the embody. of evil. >> they claim to do this in the name of islam. this is nonsense. islam is a religion of peace. they are not muslims, they are monsters. >> reporter: in a statement, president obama condemned the barbaric murder of haines. the 44-year-old kidnapped. haines worked as a security consultant for an aids group. mike haines said highs brother was enthusiastic about his work. >> my first reaction could be one of hate red, but my brother's life was not about hate red, it was about love for all men. >> in london, an emergency meeting of top

known as jihadi john collecting funds for the terror group. they joined the task force and hunting down that terrorist. they will report he hedly revea true identity in just days. >> con dwregsnal leaders on the strategy to con front isis. for more on the president's big day we turn to peter doocy who is live in washington for us. >> good morning ainsley. the first big order of business for congressional leaders is back in town after a long summer resource is to sit down with the president at the whitous and hear the commander-in-chief hear why they should sign off on a $5 million counter-terrorism fund to fight isis. some lawmakers are saying this fight could have started sooner. >> the committee has known about isis for well over two years. we saw the up tempo probably beginning especially in the fall of last year. well ore a year. i do know that all of this information was available to the white house on a daily basis they know what we knew probably even more. >> democrats are far more supportive of the president and are urging broad suppor

english-accented person on the video, who's been doing these english videos, did you believe him jihadi john. they think he's from east london. there is talk about joining the u.s. in the bombing campaign in talks today. there is a very large sense of anger within the u.k., the british prime minister speaking out after release of the video saying that these actions have nothing to do with the islamic faith. >> the fact that an aid worker was taken, held, and brutally murdered at the hands of isil sums up what this organization stands for. they boast of their brutality, claim to do this in the name of is slam. that is nonsense. islam is a religion of peace. they are not muslims, they are monsters. >> the other thing that they are deeply worried about here in the united kingdom and actively working to stop is actually british nationals going to the region and fighting and then doing things like we saw with this video, that is a grave concern here, not only because they don't want their own citizens going to the region and getting caught up in this, but also the threat that they may pose if the

he's been dubbed jihadi john in the u.k. it's thought that that name has not been released because, of course, they are still searching to find his whereabouts, and take action. >>> okay. phil ittner in london. thank you. >>> afghanistan's two presidential candidates agreed to restart talks to end months of political gridlock. abdullah abdullah and ashraf ghani have been waiting to see who won the election. many hope negotiations will lead to a peaceful transfer of power ever, starting today the united nations takes over the peacekeeping mission in central african republic from african union forces. >> the mission will include military police. >>> ongoing violence between muslim groups left 2 million people in need of aid. new developments today and a number of controversies surrounding the n.f.l. the leak launched something new to deal with issues of domestic violence. former baltimore ravens ray rice has launched an appeal against his suspension. michael eaves joins us. ray rice has until midnight tomorrow to enter his app

in this video, the jihadi known as jihadi john is not in the video.john cantlie is at a desk in a news style. that is central to the message. what he is saying is that over the coming days and weeks, we will deliver a series of programs or reports telling us the truth about isis. now he says, of course, you may think i'm doing this because i'm a prisoner and he says, of course, i am. he also goes on to say he feels he has been abandoned by the british government. he says while other european countries have negotiated their hostages out of captivity, britain and u.s. have failed to do so. that is why he is in this mess now. it is difficult to tell why isis has changed tactic on this. is it is attempt to gain attention in different fashion or a scheme that john cantlie put together and persuaded his captors. a gamble to prolong his life. if that is the case, there is no guarantee he will succeed. he says in the video, i will do this and for the short while, but no telling whether that will keep me from death. so still very much under threat of death, jo

. >> uk media have dubbed the man jihadi john. you see him speaking with a british accept and wielding a large knife. intelligence officials believe he's the same man in the videos of steven sotloff and david hanes. david hanes' daughter is speaking out for the first time. he was killed by isis militants earlier this month, despite pleas from his family for his release. the daughter bethany says they still don't have his body to give him a proper burial. she wants to see the terrorist group eradicated. >> i can tell you, you can't do this to people and get away with it. hundreds of civilians have been killed by them, and they need to be stopped. whatever it takes, that's what it takes. >> well-spoken young woman. she's been through a lot lately, of course. the united states has welcomed the participation of saudi arabia in the air campaign against isis. >> however, human rights groups argue lethal punishment such as beheadings, they happen in saudi arabia, as well. brian todd brings us details. but some images in his report may di

the militant is dubbed jihadi john. he's dressed in black. he speaks with a british accent, and yields a very large knife. intelligence videos believe he's the same man in the gruesome videos in two other murders. >>> iraq's prime minister has order eed an investigation after up to 300 soldiers were killed when isis militants overran an iraqi military base. >> all this happened on sunday near fallujah, 30 miles west of baghdad. survivors say they were under heavy attack, running low on ammunition, and their pleas for air strikes went unanswered. we would like you to hear from one survivor right now. this was posted online but we cannot confirm its authenticity. >> an armored vehicle entered among the brigade and threw up the soldiers. another humvee entered and blew up as well. a lot were killed. many were wounded. myself and others escaped towards the orchards. less than 200 survived from four regiments. the rest were either killed or wounded. >> frightening indeed. now the attack raises more questions about the iraqi military's ability to t

people have been calling him jihadi john. but now the fbi says they have identified him. but it's a chilling story here at home in oklahoma that's raising new questions for law enforcement today. an american man is accused of beheading a woman at a food processing plant where he worked. police say he stabbed another woman before being shot by an off-duty sheriff's deputy. you can hear what may be those gunshot wounds in this 911 call. >> is that him? he's back? >> yeah, it sounds like he's running around out here. >> and that, that's a gunshot. >> got a gunshot. units responding to vaughan foods, be advised we do now have gun shots. okay, do you know where he's at now? >> he's in the hallway outside of the center of the building. >> the suspect, 30-year-old alton nolan is expected to survive. workers at the plant told police, nolan had recently tried to convert several employees to islam. because of the nature of the attack, local police called in the fbi. >> are you looking at a possible act of terrorism at all? because i know you had said he was looking to possibly conv

isis execution video kneeling in an orange jumpsuit beside the man known by the british press as jihadi johny hoping that this latest appeal will lead to his release. john. >> let's hope. erin mclaughlin in london. thank you so much. coming up, there's been no word from an american journalist who went missing two years ago in syria. his parents are now speaking out in a cnn exclusive, begging for answers. stay with us. >>> all right. we still got months to go before the holidays but one airline is preparing, already preparing for an increase in passengers. spirit airlines says it's raising check bag fees by $2 during the holiday between december 18th and january 5th. spirit's standard bag fees usually from $30 to 100 bucks a day. in a statement on its website spirit said the move is making room for more bags to spend less time packing and laughing with holiday and friends. spirit is known for bare fees that means your ticket price and a personal item are the only thing included. everything else from a carry-on bag to bottled water will cost you. (vo) you are a business pro. solver of the sli

the militant dubbed jihadi john. nay believe he's the same man shown in two other beheading videos. >> this comes as the daughter of murdered british aide worker backs military intervention in iraq. david haynes was killed earlier this month. his family had pleaded for his release but that had no impact on his cap tors. they posted a chilling video on line almost two weeks ago now. his daughter bethany says she wants closure. >> we've not had a body. and i think -- i don't know if it's for to prolong people's pain not returning it, or they don't feel they need to do it, but as a daughter of someone who's been killed, you want closure. and as a family, you want closure. and they tried to hurt us by taking away someone we loved. but in a way, they failed. because e6r7b who knows david will have a part of him with us forever. >> she then went on to say she wants isis to be eradicate popped. >> so sad indeed. meanwhile, the u.s. is denying there is any known threat to its subway systems. the iraqi prime minister has said

is come back necessarily and tell us that they have identify the man that media here have dubbed jihadi johnat executioner with the british accent. but certainly people have been working around the clock to try and identify the accent, try and identify height, stature and see if that fits with anybody that they have in the database, any of these suspects they may have been tracking before they even traveled out to syria and to iraq. so that has been going on behind the scenes. but we don't know whether in fact they've now narrowed it down, if they know who this man is and if they know, also, who his associates and possibly even who his family are back in britain, erin. but certainly they think that he comes from multicultural neighborhood of london. >> i know, karl, there were 13 days between the release of the two execution videos. obviously we don't know when they were filmed. we know they were released 13 days apart. you have done so much reporting on this and at least they weren't filmed at the exact same time. does anyone know exactly where they were filmed yet? >> you know, we know tha

and british law enforcement authorities believe they have identified the man known as jihadi john.hey believe this man is a british citizen tied to a group of extremists based in london. but so far officials are declining to name the suspect citing the ongoing investigation and there are a number of sensitives here. publicly identifying him. isis still has other american hostages whose lives are in danger and investigators want to nail down who the suspect's network of possible co-conspirators are. they used old-fashioned investigative work to figure out the identity through human and technical means. i've been talking to former investigators who say authorities probably relied heavily on voice analysis to trace the man's accent to london and perhaps talked with some of the hostages released by isis to close in on the identity. >> if they do complete the task and find out who it is, then what? can you actually think they could go after him in places like syria? >> it's going to be a big challenge. they now believe they know who it is. but figuring out where he is is a totally diffe

the the fbi has in the released the name of the terrorist known as jihadi john or where exactly he is from. that i should mention is not a picture of him. shortly following the the deaths of james foley, steven sotoloff and david haines, british newspapers identified the masked man as a 23 year-old failed rapper from london. >>> we are getting a look the at beginning of the u.s. attacks officeis in syria. and, it the shows, an air strike against isis. officials say subsequent air strikes have targeted syrian oil installations held by extremist of the islamic state group. officials say 19 people were killed. these strikes were part of the president obama's strategy to eliminate threat posed biasis. >>> septa official are stepping up patrols in the wake of the possible terror threat, targeting subway systems in the u.s., and in france. >> the warning comes, from the the iraqi prime minister, but terror experts are down playing the threat because it didn't come from u.s. officials. meanwhile septa officials are not taking any chances, passengers may notice an increase of police presence

he has been referred to as jihadi john in some circles.declined to say who this is or where the man is from. there have been reports that he is british. we will be working on confirming this and how much he knows. he did say that the fbi is working hard to identify two other people in isis propaganda videos who appear to have american or canadian accents. we have a big focus going on right now. we will stay with that for you. world leaders are gathered addressing in part these mounting terror threats. the un secretary general said the world made great strides and developed the goals like fighting poverty. what does great strides look like? there still 1.2 billion people in the world who live in extrem. there's interesting solutions coming from other quarters as these world leaders meet at the u.n., where else can we see solutions? well, not necessarily a solution and a lot of reason for skepticism. there's interesting models coming from the celebrity activism sector. i sat down with now doubt as they were promoting this weekend's third ann

and steve fbi director believes they have identified the isis executioner known as jihadi john. >> it's significant. the question now what is next? the issue here, i think, for the whole action in syria has been u.s. action that is limited in scope versus isis ambitions that are unlimited and sort of without end. the mismatch is one we're going to keep revisiting and keep discussing. what is interesting if you talk to folks who are close to syrian opposition and the moderate fighters, they really feel like there's an issue that is going to come up soon enough. yes, we'll fight isis but what about the regime? someone said to me this week in new york, look, the regime is the cancer. isis is simply a symptom of that. get rid of the symptom great. but you still have the cancer. and more of these can crop up even if you take care of this one, take care of isis. what comes in its way. >> that's a good question. steve, i want to ask you president obama and vice president joe biden spoke with turkey's president about expanding his country's role against isis. what do we need from turkey. do you

the man in the mask known by the nickname jihadi john. say authorities have used a variety of techniques to try to learn his true identity. listen. the isis radical speaks in a british accent. >> you have plotted against us. >> reporter: that voice has been compared to known recordings and they've been allowing informants to listen to it. authorities search for a match with his hands and eyes and examine the desert background. and they've used computer simulations like this to try to construct a composite of a man's face to compare with photographs of known terrorism suspects. fbi director james comey told me and a small group of reporters he is now confident he knows who this man is but he refused to reveal his name. intelligence officials believe the masked man is somewhere in syria but admit they don't know for sure. an intensive manhunt is under way to find him. pierre thomas, abc news, washington. >>> the fbi has also revealed how many americans are currently believed to be fight with extremist groups in syria. fbi director comey sai

yesterday they believe they have identified who that person is, who has been known in the media as jihadi john. they haven't revealed his identity. and two british hostages beheaded on tape and another one whose life is in dpaanger. it's not exactly a a rerun of the iraq war which many people in britain have a lot of remorse about. tony blair joining george w. bush in that came pain. >> colonel, it seems like the reaction in great britain is very reactionary. can you talk a little more about whether or not the forces being proportional to the threat. you have with the french, a french tourist beheading in algeria. now you have france sort of on the spot to do more. you have great britain as indira just explained being the -- the public being exer sized by the fact you have a british accent in the person appearing in the beheading video as well as one of the victims. is the west employing enough force here to react to what we're seeing happen from isis? >> what's really needed are forces on the ground. you heard general dempsey say exactly that. i think we're going to provide as much logistical

he's the man known as jihadi john. >> an attempt by you, obama, to deny the muslims their rights will result in the bloodshed of your people. >> speaking with what sounds like a british accent and holding a knife to american journalists to james foley's neck just before he's beheaded. now u.s. and british authorities are honing in on who they believe is the man behind the mask. british citizen, linked to an extremist group based in london. officials are not yet naming the suspect, citing the ongoing investigation. >> if you had possession of that name, you wouldn't make it public. you would, would you want them to think that no one knew who they were. >> investigators have spent weeks using human and technical means to identify foley's killer. relying on voice analysis of the british accent and picking apart meta-data taken from the video. but former c.i.a. official gary bernson said it's likely the human sources led investigators to a possible suspect. >> this is about the human intelligence game. they have house of individuals that are gone through terrorist training camps and they

announced it identified jihadi john, but refused to reveal his name or nationality. u.k. officials ever said the isil member believed to be involved in the beheading of american journalist james foley and steve sotloff appears to be british. nine men were arrested in london, two more arrested today. among them, a radical preacher. he is the supporter of isil's efforts to create a caliphate and has promoted sharia law inning granted and the u.s. he called for retaliation against the air strike campaign in iraq and syria, leading to concerns of attacks in britain and the u.s. >> is there a threat to the british people? the answer is yes. isil already murdered one british hostage and threatens the lives of two more. >> not everyone in britain supports the isil airstrikes. anti war protestors gathered outside downing street in london to have their opinions heard. >> i think the british involvement is a figure leaf to support the u.s. involvement. it is not necessary and they know that. >> cameron has been very careful to say that this will not be a shack and occam pain, steal

>> now that officials believe they know who jihadi john is, they're working feverishly to gather as much intelligence as possible as to his whereabouts. actually bringing him to justice could come with some major risks. >> any attempt by you, obama -- >> reporter: u.s. sources tell cnn the man seen holding the might have to james foley's neck is a british citizen. but authorities aren't naming him, signing sensitivity of the ongoing investigation. >> only way you have categorical proof is about if he takes his mask off. if there is doubt, it would be hugely embarrassing to say this is the killer and it turns out it's somebody else. >> reporter: they have used voice analysis to trace his accent. spokesman for steven sotloff says former isis hostages have helped the investigation. >> british guards, we had a lot of information on them. we know that they had east london accents, people told us from inside the prison. so we know a lot. >> reporter: identifying the masked man is one thing. finding and capturing him is another. u.s. and british authorities would have to weigh the risks of a ma

and british law enforcement authorities are honing in on a subject they believe is a man known as jihadi johnhe masked man shown right here putting a knife to james foley's throat in the execution video, they believe he's a british citizen tied to a group of extremists based in london. but at this point officials declined to name the suspect citing the ongoing investigation and also there are a number of sensitivities surrounding publicly identifying him. isis still has other american hostages whose lives are in danger. that's a big consideration and investigators want to nail down who the suspect's network of possible co-conspirators are before making any sort of public identification. >> do we know what tools they used to identify him, how they did it? >> just in speaking to sources fbi and british authorities have been using human and technical means to identify this person. initially there was a lot of focus on voice analysis which helped investigators trace the man's british accent to london. that was a good starting point. but i've been learning that it was really the human intel that w

but they have a possible suspect of who they believe is this jihadi john, this man we see in the video, the masked man we saw in the execution video of james foley, put a knife to the throat of james foley in that video. and this has been a top priority for officials to identify this person. we heard him in the video. appears he has a british accent. sources tell me they believe this man in the video is actually linked to a group of extremists based in london. officials are not yet naming the suspect publicly, citing the ongoing investigation because there's a lot to take into account. they want to figure out who else may be conspiring with this person, who else is within his network and take into account that isis has other american hostages right now as we speak. so, again, officials have a pretty good idea of who it is. they have been using human methods, technical means, analyzing the metadata on that video, using voice analysis to try to pin down who it is. >> there are unfortunately two videos, steven sotloff as well was killed by isis. is the thought that the executioner in that

as for his captors, one of them known as jihadi john by the british ples here, he's appeared masked inly isis videos, british authorities say they're close to confirming his identity. british prime minister david cameron vowing to bring him to justice, whether it be in syria or here in the united kingdom. >> they have their own home-grown terror issue in the uk. there were big question marks surrounding their role in the first wave of air strikes, what do you hear about what the uk will contribute to the coalition? >> that's right. there's speculation here this morning, in the united kingdom, that british prime minister david cameron could recall parliament on the question of british involvement in air strikes as early as friday. he's expected to make a speech at the u.n. general assembly later today on isis as well as the situation in iraq. perhaps we'll hear more then. but members of the opposition party saying that they would be open to concrete proposals to that effect. chris? >> we'll be waiting on that. thank you for the reporting, president obama the big headliner at the u.n. ge

. >> well, and a reporter we had on earlier believes it's the same jihadi john from the other two, thiser withdjh+ the british accent. >> david cameron meeting with members of parliament in the covert meetings, the high-level security meetings. he's out of the meetings as we get a live look of him speaking. listen in. >> they claim to do this in the name of islam. that is nonsense. islam is a religion of peace. they are not muslims, they are hon sters. they make no secret of doing harm not just in the middle east but to countries who stand in their way or the dare to we are a peaceful people. we do not seek out confrontation, but we need to understand that we cannot ignore this threat to our security and o=ere's no options of keeping our heads down to make us safe. the problem would merely get worse as it has done over recent months, not just for us but for europe and the west. we cannot just walk on by to keep the country safe. we have to confront this menace. step by side we must drive back, dismantle or destroy isil and what it stands for. we will do so in a calm, deliberate way but

this is not something, it's not a beheading, this is not jihadi john wielding a knife making broad statements about how isis is going to take on the united states and this is a retaliation for u.s. involvement in iraq and syria. very different tone. what do you make of this change in tone? >> it's a very different video. from my view, it's potentially much more macabre than the other videos. >> i agree. >> bear in mind it's supposed to be a series of videos, we don't know how it ends yet. when i look at it and look at the narrative arc. one thing he mentions is that the u.s. and the uk won't negotiate. it seems to me like pro tensionally what the script is doing is setting up his death at the end. making him walk through the series of propaganda pieces and then executing him. setting up the narrative that it's the u.s. and uk to blame. >> it seems more twisted, when you lay it out that way. because i absolutely agree with you. why do you think they would change this tactic. because the gruesome beheading videos were getting a whole lot of attention. >> it may be because they think it's more e

when that was written in the uk in 2011, we hadn't had the leeward piece, we hadn't had john the jihadiho's got this english east london accideent beheading american journalists. it's been brewing for a year, two years, josh, as you mentioned earlier on. it's something that we've got to start developing a political plan on because without the political plan, military activity is a waste of time. >> and that's my sense as well. in some ways while it's a huge and challenging question of what we do from a military perspective right now, whether we see the threat of isis growing throughout iraq and while our journalists are being held hostage and being beheaded in gruesome fashion for the world to see, in a lot of ways it seems to me that the even more challenging question is, if you do go in, if you eliminate the threat for now, how do you combat the ideology, how do you ensure that there are stable governments in the middle east and iraq and syria? >> it's a complex question and it's a complex answer. what you're talking about is the ideology, you need a proactive approach. what we're see

turkey is an underground railroad for jihadis from africa to europe to syria. it is likely john will ask the turks to do more to crackdown on the flow of fighters through turkey. in addition, in the past, turkey has allowed the u.s. air force to use air bases to carry out missions against iraq for example and it's unlikely that the turks want to come out publicly to allow that because the turks have almost 50 of their diplomats and security officers and their family members who have been hostages since june in iraq. all captured in turkey's consulate in the northern city of mosul. they are terrified they could see repeats of the beheadings we have scene of the poor american journalists if they come out in support of the u.s. and campaign against isis. so, john kerry will be trying to push the turks to do more, but his visit is coming in a few days after the u.s. defense secretary chuck hagel made his visit to turkey and he did not come away publicly with many pledges of support from the turks in this difficult and complicated campaign. >> the self interests and regional interest