'Toxic Environment' At Emwazi's University

We use cookies to give you the best experience. If you do nothing we'll assume that it's ok.

A former student at Mohammed Emwazi's London university has told Sky News it allowed a toxic environment of radical Islam, where holy war was glorified behind closed doors.

The University of Westminster has insisted it condemns the promotion of radicalisation and is trying to stop it, after Emwazi was unmasked as the Islamic State militant "Jihadi John".

The unnamed ex-student said groups active at the university "created a hostile environment towards non-Muslims, were anti-Israeli and homophobic remarks were rampant at the campus".

He added: "If this toxic environment endured after I left I am not surprised a 'normal' young Muslim struggling to find identity became radicalised."

The former student added the university was "excellent" but "their tolerance was abused by people who played a double game".

Earlier, an ex-school pupil of Emwazi said he seemed peculiar and violent as a youngster.

The man, who does not want to be named, also told Sky News that Emwazi "got into some fights" and smoked, but there was nothing in his secondary school that could have left him radicalised.

1/5

Gallery: Jihadi John's University Academic Record

Mohammed Emwazi, aka Jihadi John, studied a computing course at university. Sky News has exclusively obtained his student record

His file shows mostly middling academic grades for his course modules. He graduated with a lower second (2.2) degree

]]>

Emwazi is believed to be the British-accented man who has appeared in Islamic State beheading videos

]]>

Pictures have also emerged of Emwazi from his school yearbook in 1996

]]>

The 27-year-old went to St Mary Magdalene Church of England school in Maida Vale, west London

]]>

However, he said there was potential for him to be groomed because he kept himself to himself and did not make eye contact.

There has been widespread shock at Quintin Kynaston Academy following Emwazi's apparent involvement in a series of IS videos which show the gruesome beheadings of Western aid workers and journalists.

The former pupil said there was nothing to suggest Emwazi was religious during his teenage years.

He was also quiet and always wore a baseball cap.

"There was something peculiar about him in that he was violent but he wasn't someone who was loud who talked in a provocative way," the ex-classmate said.

"There were others who were going around bullying."

The fellow pupil at the north-west London academy believes the IS militant's education beyond secondary school may be responsible for his transformation into a cold-blooded killer.

"It wasn't like university where you'd have speakers coming over from certain societies to give talks," said the former schoolmate, who was two years older than Emwazi.

"I suppose there was potential for him to be groomed, that is a possibility. But at the time, at secondary school, he was like any of us."

Emwazi, 26, went on to study at the University of Westminster between 2006 and 2009 - finishing his computer programming degree.

In the same year, he was reportedly questioned by an MI5 officer in Amsterdam, accused of attempting to travel to Somalia to join a terror group.

It comes as a former reviewer of UK terrorism legislation suggested on Sky News that Emwazi might have been prevented from joining up with IS had restrictions on suspects not been relaxed.

Lib Dem peer Lord Carlile said: "Had control orders been in place, in my review there is a realistic prospect that Mohammed Emwazi and at least two of his associates would have been the subject of control orders with a compulsory relocation.

"If that had been the case he would not have done what he has done in recent times."

And Tory former shadow home secretary David Davis said the revelation that Emwazi had been on the authorities' radar showed the approach of MI5 was "ineffective".

But current Home Secretary Theresa May has rallied to the defence of the UK's security and intelligence services, calling them "true heroes".

The unnamed classmate, who has watched some of the videos, continued: "Something has gone wrong somewhere - whether in the UK, or when he went abroad.

"It's a shame that we, or the Government, weren't able to stop it, or to even notice it. I presume he's got some anger to vent out, or he's enjoying the fame. He seems to be confident in what he is doing - it's not like what I saw when he was younger."

Since his identity was revealed, Quintin Kynaston has released a statement saying it was "shocked and sickened" that one of their alumni has become involved in terrorism.

MI5 has reportedly questioned Emwazi's former teachers following on from his identification.

Recommended by Outbrain Recommended by Outbrain

Sumpah Serapan