The Metropolitan Police has welcomed the conviction of a member of the so-called “Beatles” Islamic State terror cell after a trial in the US. El Shafee Elsheikh, 33, faces a possible life sentence after being found guilty of his role in an “evil” hostage-taking scheme which involved torturing, beating, and executing prisoners.
The jihadist, who grew up in London, was accused of being one of a gang of four IS militants nicknamed “the Beatles” by their captives due to their British accents. The cell, said to be made up of ringleader Mohammed Emwazi, known as Jihadi John, Aine Davis, Alexanda Kotey, and Elsheikh, was allegedly responsible for the brutal killings of several Western and Japanese captives, including Britons Alan Henning and David Haines.
On Thursday, Elsheikh was convicted of eight counts relating to four American hostages, James Foley, Steven Sotloff, Peter Kassig, and Kayla Mueller, after a trial at the US District Court in Alexandria, Virginia. Following the verdict, Commander Richard Smith, head of the Met’s counter terrorism command, said: “We are aware of the conviction of Elsheikh in the US today and welcome this verdict. Our thoughts remain with all the victims and their families, and we hope that this result might be of some comfort to them."
He said Met officers had provided evidence to the US court, adding: “This evidence has contributed to the overall prosecution case, and enabled our colleagues in the US to ensure this man has been brought to justice for some of the most evil and terrible crimes imaginable. It shows how we, along with our international partners, are absolutely determined to identify and bring those responsible for extremely serious terrorist offences to justice – even if those offences have been committed on foreign soil.”
The court heard Elsheikh, said by prosecutors to use the nickname “Ringo”, had forced prisoners to fight each other and made them sing song parodies. Survivors told the court hostages dreaded the arrival of the British group at the prisons in which they were held, and recalled being forced to take part in a “royal rumble” after being told the winner of an hour-long brawl would avoid being water-boarded.
The three American men that Elsheikh was charged in connection with were executed in videotaped beheadings broadcast online. Ms Mueller was enslaved and raped multiple times by Islamic State leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi before she was killed.
The four were said to have been among 26 hostages taken between 2012 and 2015, when the Islamic State group dominated large areas in Iraq and Syria. While defence lawyers accepted Elsheikh had joined IS, they said prosecutors had failed to prove he was one of “the Beatles”, with survivors saying their captors hid their faces and ordered hostages to avoid eye contact.
Elsheikh, Kotey and Emwazi all knew each other in England before joining IS, the court was told. Elsheikh was captured alongside Kotey in Syria in 2018 by the US-supported Syrian Democratic Forces while trying to escape to Turkey. Last year, Kotey pleaded guilty to eight counts relating to his involvement, while Davis was jailed in Turkey and Emwazi was killed in a drone strike.
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