British intelligence identifies James Foley's killer as London rapper

Numerous media reports say that British intelligence agencies have identified the British Islamic State jihadist filmed murdering the U.S. journalist James Foley.

The Sydney Morning Herald says intelligence sources believe 23-year-old Abdel Majed Abdel Bary is the killer in the video who threatened the U.S. government with what appeared to be a British accent.

Fox News says that a U.S. intelligence officer has also confirmed that Bary is the primary suspect in Foley's murder.

Bary is one of three British jihadists responsible for taking care of the Islamic State's hostages. The hostages nicknamed the three of them "the Beatles" because of their accents and origins. Bery is known as Jihadi John, for John Lennon. The other two British jihadists go by George and Ringo, according to the Herald.

The Herald says that the British intelligence agencies MI5 and MI6 are currently working to verify the jihadist's identity completely by comparing the videos of his raps with the video in which he kills Foley.

MI5 is responsible for foreign threats to the United Kingdom, like the Central Intelligence Agency. MI6 is more akin to the U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation because its primary concern is with domestic issues.

The Herald says that Bary grew up in west London before he decided to leave his middle class life of affluence for the conflict in Syria in 2013.

The Herald says that the other British subjects suspected of having a role in Foley's death are Aine Davis and Razul Islam. Davis is a former drug dealer, while not much is yet known about Islam. It is unclear who is Ringo or George.

The executioner, Bary, appears to come from a family of radical jihadists. The Herald and Fox both report that his Egyptian-born father is currently in the United States awaiting trial on charges of terrorism. He is believed to have played a role in the bombings of two U.S. Embassies in Kenya and Tanzania in 1998.