El Shafee Elsheikh, 33, is accused of participation in the murders of American reporters James Foley and Steven Sotloff, along with help workers Peter Kassig and Kayla Mueller.The day after the selection of 18 jurors, including 6 alternates, district attorneys and Elsheikhs legal representatives will cross swords for the very first time in federal court in Alexandria, Virginia.Elsheikh and another former British nationwide, Alexanda Amon Kotey, were captured in January 2018 by Kurdish forces in Syria while trying to flee to Turkey.They were turned over to US forces in Iraq and flown to Virginia in October 2020 to face charges of hostage-taking, conspiracy to murder US people and supporting a foreign terrorist organization.Kotey pleaded guilty in September 2021 and is facing life in prison. Under his plea contract, Kotey will serve 15 years in prison in the United States and after that be extradited to Britain to deal with additional charges.Elsheikh chose to fight the charges. He faces an unconditional sentence of life imprisonment.Kotey and Elsheikhs four-member jihadist cell, dubbed the “Beatles” by their slaves due to their British accents, was presumably involved in the abductions of a minimum of 27 people in Syria from 2012 to 2015. The hostages, some of whom were launched after their federal governments paid ransoms, were from a minimum of 15 nations, including the United States, Denmark, France, Japan, Norway and Spain.The “Beatles” allegedly tortured and killed their victims, consisting of by beheading, and IS launched videos of the murders for propaganda purposes.Ringleader Mohamed Emwazi, known as “Jihadi John,” was eliminated by a United States drone in Syria in November 2015, while the 4th “Beatle,” Aine Davis, is sent to prison in Turkey after being founded guilty on terrorism charges.Kotey, understood as “Ringo” by the hostages, and Elsheikh, called “George,” presumably supervised detention centers for hostages and collaborated ransom negotiations, according to the US authorities.The set were likewise accused of engaging in a “prolonged pattern of physical and psychological violence against captives,” that included waterboarding, electric shocks and mock executions. Sadism Ricardo Garcia Vilanova, a Spanish professional photographer cooped for 6 months in 2014, told AFP that “abuse and murder were day-to-day occurrences” in an atmosphere of “sadism.” Several previous European captives are anticipated to testify at the trial in addition to a Yazidi woman apprehended with Mueller, a humanitarian worker who was abducted in Syria in 2013. Muellers moms and dads state she was tortured before being turned over to Islamic State group leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, who presumably raped her repeatedly before eliminating her.According to the indictment, Elsheikh was born in Sudan and relocated to Britain when he was a child.After becoming radicalized, he went to Syria in 2012 and joined the IS.Throughout his trial, four rows of seats will be reserved for previous captives and their relatives.Diane Foley, the mom of James Foley, and Bethany Haines, the child of British captive David Haines, mean to inhabit them.” This has been a very long time coming,” Diane Foley informed AFP.” Accountability is vital if were ever going to stop hostage-taking,” stated Foley.Britain stripped Kotey and Elsheikh of their UK citizenship but held up their transfer to the United States until the US authorities guaranteed London the death charge would not be sought for the 2 males.( AFP).
The very first trial on US soil of an alleged major figure in the Islamic State (IS) group– an accused member of the kidnap-and-murder cell referred to as the “Beatles”– will begin in earnest Wednesday near Washington.
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El Shafee Elsheikh, 33, is implicated of involvement in the murders of American journalists James Foley and Steven Sotloff, as well as aid employees Peter Kassig and Kayla Mueller.The day after the selection of 18 jurors, consisting of 6 alternates, district attorneys and Elsheikhs attorneys will cross swords for the very first time in federal court in Alexandria, Virginia.Elsheikh and another former British nationwide, Alexanda Amon Kotey, were caught in January 2018 by Kurdish forces in Syria while trying to flee to Turkey.They were turned over to United States forces in Iraq and flown to Virginia in October 2020 to face charges of hostage-taking, conspiracy to murder US residents and supporting a foreign terrorist organization.Kotey pleaded guilty in September 2021 and is facing life in prison. The captives, some of whom were released after their governments paid ransoms, were from at least 15 nations, including the United States, Denmark, France, Japan, Norway and Spain.The “Beatles” presumably tortured and killed their victims, including by beheading, and IS released videos of the murders for propaganda purposes.Ringleader Mohamed Emwazi, known as “Jihadi John,” was eliminated by a United States drone in Syria in November 2015, while the fourth “Beatle,” Aine Davis, is sent to prison in Turkey after being founded guilty on terrorism charges.Kotey, known as “Ringo” by the hostages, and Elsheikh, called “George,” apparently monitored detention centers for captives and coordinated ransom negotiations, according to the US authorities.The set were likewise implicated of engaging in a “prolonged pattern of physical and mental violence versus hostages,” which included waterboarding, electric shocks and mock executions. Muellers parents say she was tortured prior to being handed over to Islamic State group leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, who presumably raped her consistently before killing her.According to the indictment, Elsheikh was born in Sudan and moved to Britain when he was a child.After becoming radicalized, he went to Syria in 2012 and joined the IS.Throughout his trial, 4 rows of seats will be reserved for previous hostages and their relatives.Diane Foley, the mom of James Foley, and Bethany Haines, the daughter of British hostage David Haines, plan to inhabit them.
Provided on: 30/03/2022 – 12:42
