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The Islamic terrorist known as Jihadi John once kidnapped two schoolboys at gunpoint in retaliation for a gang attack on his brother, the Standard can reveal today.

Mohammed Emwazi forced the teenagers into a car and ordered them to strip to their underwear before dumping them on the M1 motorway.

A former friend of the terrorist told the Standard it was punishment for a vicious attack the previous day when he and Emwazi’s younger brother Omar were beaten up and attacked with bricks.

The incident occurred in 2008 when Emwazi was at the University of Westminster, a year before he was questioned by the security services who suspected him of trying to reach militant training camps in Somalia.

The friend, who was aged 14 at the time, said the attack was sparked because of “postcode rivalries” between two West London estates.

He had gone to Emwazi’s home on the notorious Mozart estate in Queen’s Park to buy a stolen bicycle from Omar, but was spotted by two people who knew he was from the rival Lisson Green estate.

He told the Standard: “The Emwazis lived on Mozart. The gang there, Mozart Bloods, used to have big rivalries with other areas - the YGM gang in Lisson Grove, other gangs in Ladbroke Grove - people would get stabbed, hit with hammers all the time.

“I ended up going to Mohammed’s house to buy a bike off Omar. He sold stolen bikes to people at school and you would get a big discount.

“I was planning an ‘in and out job’ but two guys saw me. There was a big fight. They threw a brick at my head and broke my arm, Omar was punched in the face a few times and beaten up.

“The next day Mohammed turned up with two religious guys with beards. They drove round in a car and found these two guys who attacked us, threatened them with a gun, made them take all their clothes off and drove off. They dumped them on the M1 motorway. They weren’t attacked physically but they were threatened. It was a message.

“I saw the guys the next day at school and they apologised to me. Mohammed was a bit of a hard nut. He wasn’t into gangs but people were wary of him. They were pretty scared.”

The friend said Omar never discussed his brother’s involvement with the security services.

“Omar never talked about his brother being questioned by MI5 or anything like that.

“I last saw Omar a year ago at Friday prayers at Regent’s Park mosque. His brother prayed there too.

“Omar was a good guy. He was a decent person. He used to be quite religious and very peaceful. He used to go to the Harrow Road preaching, but never hateful stuff.”

Omar, now 21, has since voiced support for the radical Islamic cleric Sheikh Khalid Yasin who inspired one of Lee Rigby’s killers, and is believed to be an integral member of a network called Power of Dawah, an evangelical Islamic group tries to convert people in the street and has hosted lectures by various preachers.

Its Twitter account follows Abdur Raheem Green, the controversial preacher who has justified domestic abuse and preached to “Underpants Bomber” Umar Farouq Abdulmutallab.

Micko Kadic, a prominent member of the Woolwich Dawah team - which once harboured Fusilier Rigby’s killers - declined to comment about Omar Emwazi’s involvement.

In 2012 Omar was convicted of handling stolen bicycles at Isleworth crown court and ordered to do 100 hours’ community service and pay £800 prosecution costs.

Mohammed Emwazi was twice acquitted of the same charges in two separate trials a few months previously.

A year later he arrived in Syria “to fight jihad” after escaping Britain’s security services on a Channel ferry, hidden in the back of a freight lorry.

Appalled relatives this week they would welcome his death.

A Kuwaiti cousin said: “We hate him. We hope he will be killed soon. This will be good news for our family.”

Meanwhile Omar, his mother Ghaneya, 47, sisters Asra, 19, and Shayma, 23, both students, and a 12-year-old sister who is still at school are reportedly being guarded by a round-the-clock police security operation in London costing £5,000 a day after being moved to a secret location.

They fled their home two weeks ago after realising Emwazi had been identified, and moved to a property in Paddington.

But they were forced to relocate again last night - believed to be to a hotel where they are living under assumed names - after Omar was spotted by a television crew.