The propaganda value for Isis of "Jihadi John" was made clear by the nom de guerre he gave himself: Abu Abdullah al-Britani. The fact that Mohammed Emwazi was born in Kuwait was overlooked. Simply by having a chief executioner who spoke with a London accent – which led to him being given an everyman nickname in the press, with a traditional British feel, and being grouped with other UK militants known as "the Beatles" – Isis hoped to inspire more like-minded British and European citizens to join their cause. Up to 6,200 Europeans are believed to have joined Isis, with as many as 600 from the UK. However, Emwazi's nationality was not the only reason that he rose to prominence within the murderous militant group. A former Isis member said he saw Emwazi on several occasions in Syria but that it would have been "too dangerous" to ask him any questions as he was "the British guy who slaughters people", according to an account he gave to The Guardian. One former hostage freed by Isis said Emwazi was quiet and appeared to be intelligent – yet even by Isis standards he was seen as a fearsome figure, an executioner willing to kill on command.
