Two Britons who joined the Islamic State in Syria are facing charges in the United States for their involvement in the beheading of at least four American hostages. According to US judicial sources, they will be brought to trial later today in Alexandria, Virginia.
The two, Alexanda Kotey and Al-Shafei Al-Sheikh, are part of a group of ISIS members whose prisoners have been dubbed ‘the Beatles of Islamic State’ because of their British accent. The US justice system suspects them of involvement in at least 24 murders, including the beheadings of journalists James Foley and Stephen Sotloff and aid worker Peter Kassig.
orange overalls
Videos of beheadings were posted on ISIS propaganda channels. The videos showed kneeling victims dressed in orange who were killed by ISIS fighters dressed in black.
It is not yet known what charges were brought against Alexanda Kotey and Al-Shafei Al-Sheikh. The two were captured by Syrian soldiers at the end of 2018 and handed over to US soldiers in Iraq in October 2019. Two other Beatles are Mohammed Emwazi, who was killed in a drone attack in 2015, and Leslie Davis was appointed. The latter was sentenced to seven years in prison in Turkey in 2017.
Comfortable
Relatives of the victims are relieved to bring the two to the United States. “They can now be held accountable in a US court for the horrific crimes they committed against our children.” The trial of the two could become one of the most important terrorism trials in the United States on ISIS terrorism.
