Taxpayer Shelled Out £500k To House ‘Tenants From Hell’ Jihad John’s Family

Details have begun to emerge about just how much the British taxpayer paid to keep Mohammed Emwazi aka Jihad John and his family in a smart West London property. The family moved to the UK in 1990 shortly after they fled Kuwait because they supported Saddam Hussein’s invasion of the country.

Despite some claims in the media, Jihad John’s parents never worked in the UK and instead relied on benefits to fund their lifestyle. They were also able to claim for his education at Westminster University, adding to the bill handed to the taxpayer.

The Daily Mail reports Westminster City Council was obliged to house the family. They have lived in various taxpayer funded properties but the most recent was rented for £23,400 a year, which adds up to £468k for the 20 years they all lived together in the UK.

When they initially moved to London they were placed in a three-bedroom apartment which is now worth £900k. But this was not considered big enough and they were given a house in Little Venice worth over £1m. It had to be converted so it could fit the growing family.

Although the family did not work they were still able to offer the owner of the property £300k in cash for it. After the offer to buy the property was rejected they moved near Lord’s Cricket Ground before finally settling on a £1.4m apartment in Maida Vale.

Under housing rules Westminster City Council is required to provide properties to homeless families within its borough, which is one of the most expensive areas in the country. This means that refugee families like the Emwazis can end up in multi-million pound properties, whilst most of the country live in far less impressive surroundings.

But all was not well for those living near the Emwazis. Sithy Hussain who owns the £1million home in Little Venice claimed Mr Emwazi was an “aggressive sod”. She added: ‘They were parasites. He was the tenant from hell. The rent went up to £450 a week and it was paid from housing benefits. They didn’t pay one penny.

“They stayed for a few years and there were problems. They had to have another room because they had another child and they had the locks changed.”

Some members of the family are still living in the UK and are believed to be claiming housing benefit, child benefit and student support. Kuwaiti authorities have accused them of knowing about Mohammed’s atrocities for six months. They are not thought to have given the security services any assistance in that time.