On Thursday, an Islamic State member was convicted in the United States (Virginia) of beheading captives. El Shafee Elsheikh, who had lost his British citizenship, was a member of an Islamic State terrorist cell known as ‘The Beatles’ because of their British accents. He was a participant in the infamous Islamic State hostage-taking scheme, which resulted in the execution of American journalists and relief workers.
ElSheikh’s trial lasted six weeks, and the jury deliberated for four hours before finding him guilty. During the trial, some previous captives who were released by the ‘Beatles’ after lengthy negotiations testified. They talked about the torment they went through. Family relatives of the dead victims testified as well.
Elsheikh was reared in London after being born in Sudan. In 2018, he lost his British citizenship. He was charged with the murders of four American hostages: James Foley, Steven Sotloff, Peter Kassig, and Kayla Mueller. Kassig was an aid worker, whereas Foley and Sotloff were journalists. These guys were executed in beheadings that were videotaped. According to US sources, Islamic State leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi raped Kayla Mueller on many occasions. In Syria, she died.
Another member of the cell, Alexanda Kotey, was detained in Iraq by the US military before being transported to the US to stand prosecution. Last September, Kotey pled guilty to the murders of Foley, Sotloff, Mueller, and Kassig. During opening statements in the United States trial, Elsheikh’s lawyer, Ed MacMahon, referred to him as a ‘simple ISIS combatant’ and questioned if he was a member of the ‘Beatles’. According to him, the captors wore masks and had similar accents, making it impossible for captives to identify them.
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