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Jihadi John's father needs a new lawyer

A Kuwaiti lawyer says "Western security agencies have not provided any evidence to prove that Mohammed Emwazi is Jihadi John".

Kuwaiti lawyer Salem al-Hashash
A lawyer (Pic) representing the father of British Islamic State executioner Jihadi John has quit. (AAP)

A lawyer representing the father of alleged Islamic State group executioner Jihadi John says he has withdrawn from his client's attempt to file cases against those he says are spreading false rumours about his family.

"I have decided to withdraw from the case for personal reasons," Salem al-Hashash said at a media conference, providing no further details and refusing to answer questions.

Jassem Emwazi - the father of Mohammed Emwazi, who is thought to be the knife-wielding IS executioner - hired Hashash last week.

Reading from a written statement, Hashash said that he filed several lawsuits on Sunday against unspecified parties for slander against his client.

The lawyer said Jassem Emwazi is a "British national who has no relation with Kuwait", except that he visits the Gulf state to see his mother.

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Hashash reiterated that "so far, Western security agencies have not provided any evidence to prove that Mohammed Emwazi is Jihadi John", who is accused of killing several Western hostages.

He said that the stories and rumours published about him are "untrue and baseless".

Hashash did not say what will happen to the lawsuits he has filed now that he has withdrawn from the case.

Last week, he told Kuwaiti daily Al-Qabas that his client was interrogated by the interior ministry for three hours before being released.

Alleged executioner Mohammed Emwazi was born in Kuwait to a stateless family of Iraqi origin. His parents moved to Britain in 1993 after their hopes of obtaining Kuwaiti citizenship were quashed.


2 min read

Published

Updated

Source: AAP



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