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Slain U.S. journalist's father - identification of 'Jihadi John' not important

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

By Alex Dobuzinskis (Reuters) - The father of American journalist James Foley, who was taken captive in Syria and later decapitated by Islamic State militants, has said it was "not important" to him that his son's purported killer, "Jihadi John," had been identified. The Washington Post reported on Thursday that "Jihadi John," who was shown in Islamic State videos of the beheadings of several captives, had been identified as Kuwaiti-born British national Mohammed Emwazi, 26. "'Jihadi John' happened to be in that position, but if it was not him it would be somebody else, so in all fairness discovering who he is might be important to some people, but it's certainly not important to me," John Foley told reporters in Arizona, according to video from local television station KSWT. Foley, whose son's beheading was shown in a video released last August, also said he will be happy when Islamic State "is defeated." John Foley and his wife, Diane, speaking on Thursday on the sidelines of a forum in Tucson, Arizona, where they were panelists, criticized how the U.S. government dealt with them while their son was held captive. "We really feel that our government needs to have a clearer policy and be more upfront about what they can and cannot do or will and will not do," Diane Foley said on local station KVOA. "We felt we were in the dark a lot,” she added. Foley's mother and brother told ABC News last year that a military officer for President Barack Obama's National Security Council had told the family they could face criminal charges if they paid a ransom. The U.S. government has a policy not to pay ransoms, saying it could encourage further abductions. On Thursday, two U.S. government sources confirmed investigators believe Emwazi is the knife-wielding militant in the videos. The revelation of "Jihadi John's" identity came months after Washington mounted an unsuccessful military mission to rescue Foley and other U.S. hostages held by Islamic State in Syria last summer. Alistair Baskey, a White House National Security Council spokesman, said the president has ordered a review of hostage policy. "We have heard concerns expressed by some family members about their interaction and communication with U.S. government officials and the amount of information that can be shared about these efforts," Baskey said. "We understand this is incredibly difficult and painful for the families and we appreciate their feedback." (Reporting by Alex Dobuzinskis in Los Angeles; Editing by Eric Beech)