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Boris Draws Blank Over Kid's Football Question

Written By Unknown on Minggu, 01 Maret 2015 | 00.57

By Anushka Asthana, Political Correspondent

Boris Johnson has been forced to admit he doesn't know which two London teams will play in a cup final this weekend – and took to Latin to defend the PM, during a grilling by school children.

Robert Ebner-Statt, 9, had to tell Boris Johnson that it was two of his city's teams - Chelsea and Tottenham Hotspur - playing in tomorrow's Capital One league cup final at Wembley.

That was despite the Conservative politician's claim that "I support all London clubs, I levitate".

He added that for "some reason I cannot fathom, my sons support Newcastle Utd".

Mr Johnson came unstuck over football during a grilling by children as part of Hotseat - a collaboration between Sky News and the national newspaper for young people, First News.

During the session he answered questions about terrorism, education policy, obesity, his political ambitions and much more.

At one point, Mr Johnson revealed that he gave lorry drivers "a piece of his mind" if they sounded their horn at him while cycling, because it made him "see red".

While previous Hotseat guests, Chancellor George Osborne and Education Secretary Nicky Morgan, refused to answer basic timetables questions, Mr Johnson was asked about a different subject - Latin.

Sophia Hindmarsh, 10, tried to play on rumours that Mr Johnson would like to become Prime Minister, by asking him to translate "Princeps Esse Velim" (I want to be leader).

Smiling, Mr Johnson quickly replied, "I know what you are trying to get me to say," and instead hit back with "Volo David Cameronem esse principem" - which he said meant "I want David Cameron to be Prime Minister."

It was not his only defence of the Conservative leader.

When asked if he wanted to be Prime Minister, he said: "I think Dave is going to get back in. I think it is more likely, frankly, that one of you will take over in some distant future than I will."

He described Mr Cameron as "very, very competent" and an "expert leader of the country".

The Mayor also spoke on a range of other issues, including:

Immigration and second jobs...

He defended immigration, as long as people were not "skiving, idling, loafing, leeching", and he entered into the debate about MPs' salaries and second jobs.

Mr Johnson claimed politicians should certainly not "be going around trying to take more dosh off the taxpayer".

Ministers, he added, should not be doing private consultancy work on the side. But he insisted that MPs were not "twerps" - well "not all twerps".

Jihadis and tuition fees...

Mr Johnson told the children that the thing he most wanted to change in the world was children being lured into what he called "Jihadi nonsense".

And he criticised Labour's policy to cut tuition fees, arguing that it was right for graduates who "earn massively more than people who don't go to university" to pay for their education.

Parenting, regrets and weird gifts...

The young people asked Mr Johnson what sort of dad he was - "embarrassing"; his biggest personal and political regrets - "my failure to get anywhere as a rockstar"; his weirdest gift - "a banquet of camel"; and his celebrity crushes - to which he strangely responded "Basil Brush".

Bouts of road rage...

On road rage, he said: "When lorry drivers come up behind me and I'm cycling innocently, keeping to my side of the road and they decide because they are so big and their lorry is so powerful and they just want to clear me out of the road and they hoot aggressively then I do see red a bit. I do."

He admitted entering into altercations if he pulled up beside a lorry driver who had done that at the traffic lights.

The embarrassing zip wire...

He also talked about the famous incident when he got stuck on a zip-wire, describing his "embarrassment and personal discomfiture".

He said he was accompanied by a bodyguard called Carl, who used to work for Tony Blair.

When he asked him for help, he said Carl simply took out a mobile phone and "took a photograph of my rear end".

The Boris Factor...

The young people also asked what the "Boris factor" was, to which he replied it was doing your best and turning up.

"My strong advice to you, turning up is about 90% of success in life," he said.

Healthy-ish eating…

On obesity, he said it was right to encourage children to eat healthily by limiting their options.

He tried to compare an unhealthy option like pizza and chips to a healthy option - but took some time to think of one, finally landing on ratatouille and salad.

Asked which he would choose, he said: "I would probably have both".


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Elephant On The Menu For Mugabe's Birthday

Zimbabwe's controversial president Robert Mugabe is preparing for a lavish birthday party at which 20,000 guests will feast on two young elephants.

The first animal was shot on Thursday and has already been cut up and passed to party organisers, according to reports in the LA Times and other media.

The second is yet to be killed and will be given to members of the community.

Mr Mugabe, who turned 91 last week, was given the animals by game farmer Tendai Musasa, who also donated a lion and a crocodile to be stuffed, and a herd of impala.

Two members of the president's government offered 40 cows for slaughter for the bash to be held at Victoria Falls this evening.

Africa's longest-serving leader is still viewed with respect by many on the continent after he led Zimbabwe to independence, however, he is subject to travel bans in the European Union and US.

He won hotly disputed elections in 2013 and his political standing appears solid, despite the country's economy in a perilous state.

During his 27-year reign, he has crushed dissent and sparred frequently with the West over his human rights record, casting himself as a champion of post-colonial Africa.

When he initially took power he was seen as promoting reconciliation, but controversial land reforms that forced out white farmers from 2000 onwards drew ire in the West.

Since then, he has increasingly been accused of human rights abuses and vote-rigging as his ZANU-PF party has clung on to power.


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First-Time Buyers 'Get 20% Discount On Homes'

First-time buyers aged under-40 will be given the chance to buy a starter home at a 20% discount under a new Government scheme.

Planning rules for under-used brownfield sites will be relaxed from Monday in return for developers using the land to build properties to sell at 80% of the market value.

The scheme could save potential buyers tens of thousands of pounds, as the average cost of a first home is currently £218,000.

The Prime Minister said the discount "could be a real game-changer for many aspiring home-owners".

About 45 developers have so far expressed an interest in taking advantage of the move, that would save them around £15,000 per home in obligations.

Suggested designs for the new homes have been compiled by a panel including leading architects Sir Terry Farrell and Sir Quinlan Terry based on the best from around the country.

They highlighted "attractive properties that can meet the demands of modern life".

Potential buyers can express interest online now and the discount will apply for five years to prevent anyone seeking to make a quick profit.

Mr Cameron said: "We want to help people who work hard and want to get on in life but have been priced out of the housing market.

"A 20% discount off the price could be a real game-changer for many aspiring home-owners. My message is clear: we are on your side and we will help you fulfil your dream of buying your first home."

Communities Secretary Eric Pickles said: "The number of first-time buyers is already at a seven-year high and these starter homes... will help even more people realise their dream of home ownership.

"This will also form part of our wider efforts to get the country building again, which have already led to 700,000 new homes being delivered since the end of 2009."

But shadow housing minister Emma Reynolds said it remained unclear how the policy would deliver.

She said: "Warm words from David Cameron about home ownership will ring hollow for those young people and families who have been priced out of home ownership over the past five years.

"This Government has presided over the lowest levels of house building in peacetime since the 1920s and home ownership is at its lowest level for 30 years.

"There is also a record number of young people living at home with their parents in to their twenties and thirties.

"Labour will get at least 200,000 homes built a year by 2020, including badly needed affordable homes, and we will give first-time buyers first call on homes built in local areas of housing growth."


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Boy, 15, Stabbed To Death While Cycling

A 15-year-old boy has died after suffering a single stab wound while cycling in north London.

Police were called just after 7.30pm on Friday to reports of a male collapsed in Caledonian Road, near the junction with Twyford Street, Islington.

Officers and paramedics from the London Ambulance Service attended but the boy was pronounced dead at the scene.

The victim has been named as Alan Cartwright. Next of kin are understood to have been informed.

Tributes and flowers have been left at the scene.

One mourner wrote: "So sad. Such a young life taken so young."

Someone, writing on Twitter, said: "So sad that another Islington kid taken so soon. Thinking of your family at this sad time."

Another added: "Devastated isn't the word! RIP Alan."

Former EastEnders actor Brooke Kinsella, whose 16-year-old brother Ben was knifed to death in north London in 2008, added: "Another young boy lost to knife crime, another family destroyed. Sickening, cowardly, senseless culture. Heart is weary #PutDownYourKnives"

Police said it is believed that the boy was riding north on Caledonian Road with friends before the incident happened.

The group was attacked close to the junction with Copenhagen Street by three males who had been walking south.

The victim suffered a stab wound but managed to continue cycling further up Caledonian Road before collapsing.

Two other members of the group had their bicycles stolen.

The suspects left the scene, making off south down Caledonian Road. No other injuries were reported.

Detectives say they are keeping an open mind as to the motive for the attack.

Investigating officer Detective Chief Inspector Chris Jones appealed for anyone who saw anything to get in touch.

He said: "Caledonian Road would have been very busy at the time of the incident and I would appeal to anyone who witnessed this attack, or may have any information as to who is responsible, to come forward and speak to police."


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US Homeland Security Narrowly Averts Shutdown

By Sky News US Team

The US Congress has passed a one-week bill to avert a partial shutdown of the Department of Homeland Security, amid a chaotic stand-off over President Barack Obama's immigration policies.

The House of Representatives approved the measure late on Friday by 357-60, after it was easily cleared by the Senate.

The president signed the bill a few minutes before midnight's deadline, but the whole deadlock could replay in a week's time.

House Republican leader John Boehner was left nursing the wounds of the political trench fight.

A rank-and-file conservative revolt torpedoed a three-week spending bill he backed earlier on Friday, in a stunning defeat for Capitol Hill's most powerful legislator.

In a further humiliation, he needed the help of Democrats to get the one-week spending bill over the line.

Republicans have been attempting to overturn Mr Obama's executive order in November, which removed the threat of deportation for 4.7 million undocumented US residents.

But Democrats staunchly resisted conservative attempts to shoehorn into this week's spending bill a provision that would have spayed the president's immigration policy.

Senate Republicans effectively waved the white flag earlier on Friday by passing a separate bill to keep the Department of Homeland Security operating until September, no strings attached.

There was disarray as the Republican leaders of both chambers proposed their duelling bills, amid claims they were not even communicating with one another.

"You have made a mess," House Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi accused the Republicans.

Some Republican lawmakers also lamented the brinkmanship over funding for a domestic security agency that secures US borders and airports.

"There are terrorist attacks all over world and we're talking about closing down Homeland Security," tweeted Representative Peter King of New York.

"This is like living in world of crazy people."

Critics have said the impasse underscores that Republicans are not fit to govern, following their takeover of Congress after November's midterm elections.

Democratic strategists will also be rubbing their hands with glee at the prospect of the row worsening Republicans' already brittle relationship with Hispanic voters ahead of the 2016 presidential elections.


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'Callous' Murder Of Boris Nemtsov Condemned

David Cameron has condemned the killing of Russia's former deputy prime minister Boris Nemstov as "despicable" and "callous".

The Prime Minister added the Russian people had been deprived of a champion of their rights and that Mr Nemtsov was greatly admired in Britain, not least by Margaret Thatcher.

"I am shocked and sickened by the callous murder of Boris Nemtsov as he walked in the heart Moscow last night," he said.

"This despicable act must be fully, rapidly and transparently investigated, and those responsible brought to justice."

The 55-year-old, who was a fierce critic of President Vladimir Putin, died after being shot four times by an unidentified attacker in a passing car in Moscow during the early hours of Saturday.

According to colleagues, he was working on a report which apparently included concrete evidence that Russia was directly involved in the separatist movement which erupted in Ukraine last year.

At the time of the attack, Mr Nemtsov was walking along a bridge with a Ukrainian woman, who was not injured.

She is now being questioned by police.

Investigators say the killing was the work of one or more gunmen who shot at Mr Nemtsov seven or eight times.

The politician had received death threats on social media, but no steps were taken by the police to offer him protection, according to his lawyer, Vadim Prokhorov.

Russia's investigative committee are pursuing several lines of enquiry, including an Islamist extremist attack and links to the Ukraine crisis.

A senior opposition politician, Mr Nemtsov was an outspoken detractor of Mr Putin's administration - and had planned to attend an "anti-crisis march" through the capital on Sunday.

The economist had said in an interview with Russian media: "Every time I called (my mother), she laments: 'When are you going to stop scolding Putin? He will kill you!'"

Mr Putin has condemned the death, which he said looked like a "contract killing" - adding that he will personally oversee the investigation into the shooting.

In a message to Mr Nemtsov's mother, he said: "Everything will be done so that the organisers and perpetrators of a vile and cynical murder get the punishment they deserve."

Meanwhile, the White House has demanded that the investigation is "prompt, impartial and transparent".

President Obama, who met Mr Nemtsov in 2009, described him as a "tireless advocate" for the rights of Russian citizens, and cited his work in fighting corruption.

Russia's Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev tweeted: "Boris Nemtsov was an outstanding individual and a man of principle. This is how we will remember him."

Garry Kasparov, chairman of the Human Rights Foundation, tweeted: "Devastated to hear of the brutal murder of my long-time opposition colleague Boris Nemtsov. Shot four times, once for each child he leaves."

The political activist added: "Politkovskaya was gunned down. MH17 was shot out of the sky. Now Boris is dead.

"As always, Kremlin will blame opposition, or CIA, whatever."


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Anti-Islamisation Protest In Newcastle

Some 400 demonstrators have taken to the streets of Newcastle to protest against "the Islamisation of Europe" in the first British demonstration organised by the PEGIDA group.

The movement was formed in Germany last year and has held regular marches there calling for a restriction in Muslim immigration and the preservation of German culture.

Its German acronym means Patriotic Europeans against the Islamisation of the West.

On its Facebook page, the group said: "We would like to remind everyone that this will be a peaceful rally where people from all walks of life will gather together to unite against extreme Islam, nothing else.

"We all have one main aim and that is to protect our British values and our culture."

A few hundred yards away an estimated 2,000 counter protesters carrying banners declaring opposition to facism, Islamaphobia and racism shouted insults behind lines of police.

MP George Galloway, who was at the rally to protest against it, branded PEGIDA supporters "right-wing nutters".

PEGIDA demonstrators gave speeches from a podium in the city centre while the song "There Will Always Be An England" played from large speakers.

One supporter said: "This is about the problems that are going on in this nation.

"Muslims are not integrating into our society; they want their own laws but we don't want that."

Another supporter was seen carrying the flag of the Greek Golden Dawn party, which has also campaigned against Muslim immigration into southern Greece and Athens.

Mr Galloway said: "It is absolutely extraordinary that a German organisation sets up in the UK - it's not as if there is a lack of right-wing nutter organisations here.

"They have got to be opposed, wherever they are."

Northumbria Police planned a major operation to keep the busy city centre safe for everyone, including football fans ahead of Newcastle United's game against Aston Villa.

But fears of widespread trouble did not materialise.

There were only minor scuffles as police tried to keep both sides apart.

Police said there were five arrests for isolated incidents, and both events passed off smoothly.

It is unclear which sides those who were arrested are from.

The alleged offences range from assault, to being drunk and disorderly and breach of the peace.


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William Visits Tsunami-Ravaged Region In Japan

William Visits Tsunami-Ravaged Region In Japan

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

By Rhiannon Mills, Royal Correspondent, Japan

Prince William has visited Fukushima four years after it was hit by a magnitude 9 earthquake and a tsunami that killed thousands and destroyed a nuclear power plant.

The Duke of Cambridge travelled by bullet train to northeast Japan as part of his six-day tour of the Far East.

Accompanied by Japan's prime minister Shinzo Abe, he went to the Smile children's play area in Koriyama, Fukushima prefecture. 

The site features a radiation monitor outside to measure background radiation levels as a reassurance that it is safe to play outdoors.

The levels are currently lower than parts of the UK.

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  1. Gallery: Prince William's Third Day In Japan

    On the third day of his trip to Japan, the Duke's first stop was public broadcaster NHK where he visited the set of a long-running historical drama - and was dressed up as a Samurai warrior

An actress on the show presented Prince William with a gift in Tokyo

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He was also shown around the make-up department and got to check out the show's props, including a Geisha wig

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The British Ambassador to Japan, Tim Hitchins, donned a samurai wig after William turned down the chance to wear it. "I'd never hear the end of it from my brother," he quipped

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The prince also met the broadcaster's mascot Dodo

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William Visits Tsunami-Ravaged Region In Japan

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

By Rhiannon Mills, Royal Correspondent, Japan

Prince William has visited Fukushima four years after it was hit by a magnitude 9 earthquake and a tsunami that killed thousands and destroyed a nuclear power plant.

The Duke of Cambridge travelled by bullet train to northeast Japan as part of his six-day tour of the Far East.

Accompanied by Japan's prime minister Shinzo Abe, he went to the Smile children's play area in Koriyama, Fukushima prefecture. 

The site features a radiation monitor outside to measure background radiation levels as a reassurance that it is safe to play outdoors.

The levels are currently lower than parts of the UK.

1/10

  1. Gallery: Prince William's Third Day In Japan

    On the third day of his trip to Japan, the Duke's first stop was public broadcaster NHK where he visited the set of a long-running historical drama - and was dressed up as a Samurai warrior

An actress on the show presented Prince William with a gift in Tokyo

]]>

He was also shown around the make-up department and got to check out the show's props, including a Geisha wig

]]>

The British Ambassador to Japan, Tim Hitchins, donned a samurai wig after William turned down the chance to wear it. "I'd never hear the end of it from my brother," he quipped

]]>

The prince also met the broadcaster's mascot Dodo

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Two Held Over Missing Teen Becky Watts

Two people have been arrested in connection with the disappearance of 16-year-old Becky Watts in Bristol, Avon and Somerset Police have said.

The arrests follow the discovery of a discarded laptop in woodland close to where the missing teen was last seen over a week ago.

The grey Toshiba, uncovered by volunteers who joined over 100 friends and family scouring the area, has been handed to investigators.

Announcing the arrests, Detective Superintendent Liz Tunks urged anyone with information relating to Becky's disappearance to come forward.

"Whilst the two people are being questioned our search for Becky continues unabated," she said.

"I would like to appeal once again for anyone who might have information about her whereabouts, or anything else that might help us to find her, to call us."

Becky was last seen at her home in Crown Hill, in the St George area of the city, on 19 February. 

Police said she took her phone, laptop and tablet computer, but did not tell her friends or family where she was going, or take extra clothes.

Becky's father and step-mum Darren and Angie-Mae Galsworthy have released a statement saying they are preparing "for the worst". 

"The police have told us today that two people have been arrested in connection with the disappearance of Becky," it said.

"Rebecca has still not been found.

"We continue to hope that she will be found safe and unharmed but we will prepare ourselves for the worst.

"We would like to take this opportunity to thank everyone who has assisted in the search for Becky and for the messages of support. 

"We continue to work with the police to bring their investigation to a successful conclusion and we would like to ask members of the public to continue to report anything, however small, if they think it may help to find Becky."

Her father has previously suggested on his Facebook page he fears his daughter may have been attacked.

He appealed to any wives or girlfriends who have washed any blood from their loved ones' clothes that cannot be explained to get in touch with police.

The teenager, described as shy, was reported missing by her family at 4pm on February 20.

The detective leading the hunt has said Rebecca's disappearance was "totally out of character".

Detective Inspector Richard Ocone said: "She has not taken anything that would suggest she was going to stay away for a long period of time."

Police divers have searched a lake in St George's Park, close to the youngster's home.

Dogs and mounted officers have been involved in the hunt and officers from neighbouring force areas have also been drafted in to help.

Becky's grandparents, John Galsworthy and Patt Watts were among those taking part in Saturday's search.

Her grandmother told Sky News: "Everybody needs to feel they are doing something to bring her home.

"We're totally behind Darren and Angie (Becky's father and step-mum).

"It's our way of being their eyes, their ears, their feet... They can't see how many people are looking for their daughter."

Meanwhile a social media campaign using the hashtag #FindBecky launched earlier this week has gathered momentum.

Becky is described as 5ft 4in and slim, with long, bright red hair and was wearing a dark navy blue Puffa jacket with fabric sleeves.

Anyone with information is asked to contact Avon and Somerset Police on 101, quoting MP 591/15, or Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.


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'Toxic Environment' At Emwazi's University

'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

  1. 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

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

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

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

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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.

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  1. Breaking News: Boy, 15, Stabbed To Death While Cycling
  2. Breaking News: Two Held Over Missing Teen Becky Watts
  3. 'Callous' Murder Of Boris Nemtsov Condemned
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  5. William Visits Tsunami-Ravaged Region In Japan

'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

  1. 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.

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