WASHINGTON — President Barack Obama's administration has pledged to kill or capture the masked Islamic State militant known as "Jihadi John", who is pictured in videos beheading several hostages including Americans.
US Attorney General Eric Holder said Washington had been "thinking about [and] working on" an effort to "hold accountable" the man, who was identified by the Washington Post on Thursday as Mohammed Emwazi, a 26-year-old from London.
"I think there is something to be said for holding accountable [and] getting at the people who are responsible for these barbaric acts," Holder said in an interview with ABC News broadcast Friday.
On Thursday, Obama said in a televised interview that his effort to combat Islamic State fighters includes a mission to bring the man to justice.
" time any American is harmed anywhere in the world, the United States government is going to to be going after that person," he said. "And eventually, if you hurt an American, you’re going to be brought to justice in some fashion."
Both Obama and Holder declined to confirm the identity of the masked militant or comment on the specific case.
White House Press Secretary Josh Earnest said Thursday that US intelligence officials had "zeroed in on an individual" at the end of 2014 by working with British allies and that "the investigation is one that we are pursuing rather aggressively".
"The United States’ commitment and the president’s commitment to ensuring that we find and hold accountable the terrorists who are responsible for the murders of American citizens has never been stronger," Earnest said.