Report: ISIS fighter 'Jihadi John' identified

His voice became hauntingly familiar as the masked man with a British accent who appeared repeatedly in brutal beheading videos from ISIS.

But the identity of "Jihadi John" remained a mystery -- until Thursday, when two U.S. officials and two U.S. congressional sources confirmed it.

The man, the officials said, is Mohammed Emwazi, a Kuwaiti-born Londoner.

The officials, who've been briefed on the matter, spoke to CNN after a Washington Post report first revealed Emwazi's identity.

Emwazi is believed to have traveled to Syria in 2012, according to the newspaper, and later to have joined ISIS there.

Even with a name and face for the man behind the mask, uncertainty still swirled Thursday. London police and British officials declined to confirm his identity. Officials from a London-based human rights and Muslim advocacy organization who've interacted with Emwazi said they couldn't be 100% certain it was him.

And a key question remained unanswered: What inspired him to join ISIS?

The answer depends on who you ask.

Some terrorism experts said Emwazi's history shows someone who'd been on a path toward extremism for years.

But CAGE, the London advocacy group that worked with him, said if he is the man who's appeared in ISIS videos, it's a sign that British authorities' tactics pushed him to radicalize.

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Report: ISIS fighter 'Jihadi John' identified