al shabaab. some raise up to senior positions within al shabaab and the al qaeda cell out of east africa. he seems to have known some of these people. reporter: he said he went to syria in 2012. analysts say it is likely he joined another jihadi group first and then isis and he had at least one skill attractive to isis. to make your mark and become important within the organization it is important to speak arabic and that would have made him stand out. he was a brit, a westerner but he was also an arab. one analyst says another characteristic jihadi john has that would have moved him up the ranks is harassment. one pointed out martin luther king were harassed by authorities and neither of them resorted to beheadings. the prime minister of israel