FBI identifies 'jihadi John'

The FBI believes it has identified the British-accented masked jihadi who appears in the videos showing the beheadings of two American journalists and a British aid worker.

James Comey, the director of the FBI, told reporters at an informal briefing on Thursday that the agency is confident of the identity of the man. The militant gained notoriety after his roles in videos released by Islamic State (ISIS), that showed the killing of James Foley, Steven Sotloff and David Haines. Comey reportedly declined to reveal the jihadi's name or nationality at the briefing.

Philip Hammond, the British foreign secretary, said on Tuesday that UK investigators were “getting warm” on determining the masked militant's true identity. British security sources have indicated that MI5, the domestic intelligence service, may have been aware of the man before he traveled to Syria to join ISIS.

Paul Bresson, an FBI spokesman, declined to say if the agency had shared the identify of the man with its UK counterparts.

'ISIS PLOTTING SUBWAY ATTACKS'

Iraq has "credible" intelligence that Islamic State militants plan to attack subway systems in Paris and the United States, the prime minister said on Thursday, but US and French officials said they had no evidence to back up his claims.

Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi's comments were met with surprise by security, intelligence and transit officials in both countries.

Abadi said he received the information Thursday morning from militants captured in Iraq and concluded it was credible after requesting further details.

Ben Rhodes, a deputy national security adviser to US President Barack Obama, said the United States had "not confirmed any specific threat."