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Islamic State 'Beatle' given life sentence

April 29, 2022

A US court handed down the first sentence to a member of the "IS" terror cell nicknamed "The Beatles." The man pleaded guilty to kidnapping, torturing and killing four American hostages.

https://p.dw.com/p/4Abtv
A Kurdish security officer, background, escorts two of four British jihadis who made up a brutal 'Islamic State' cell dubbed "The Beatles," at a security center in Kobani, Syria
The fighter was captured in Syria as he tried to cross into Turkey Image: Hussein Malla/AP Photo/picture alliance

A US court on Friday sentenced Alexanda Kotey to life in jail over the beheading and torturing of American hostages in Syria.

Part of the Islamic State kidnap-and-murder cell known as the "Beatles," 38-year-old Kotey pleaded guilty last year to the murder of US journalists James Foley and Steven Sotloff, and aid workers Kayla Mueller and Peter Kassig in 2014-2015.

He was indicted on an eight-count charge for the kidnap, torture and death of American hostages, as well as providing material support to a terror group. He pleaded guilty to all charges.

Although the UK government has stripped the man of his British citizenship, the fighter could be turned over to the UK after 15 years to face charges and serve the remainder of his sentence there as part of his plea bargain.

Two of the British jihadis who made up a brutal 'Islamic State' cell dubbed 'The Beatles,' sit on a sofa during an interview with The Associated Press at a security center in Kobani, Syria.
All four members of the brutal terror cell are in custody or deadImage: Hussein Malla/AP/picture alliance

Brutal beatings, torture of hostages

The man was part of  "The Beatles" —  a notorious four-man IS terror cell nicknamed after the popular British band because of the members' Liverpool accents.

Kurdish forces captured the man along with a fellow member of the cell in 2018 as he tried to escape Syria to Turkey. They were handed over to US troops in Iraq and taken to Virginia to face trial in 2020 after US authorities told British officials that the terrorists would not face the death penalty.

At the hearings last September, the fighter admitted to torturing hostages with waterboarding techniques and using a stun gun to deliver electric shocks.

His group inflicted brutal beatings on hostages and posted videos of their executions online. They also forced their hostages to fight each other.

Dubbed John, Paul, George and Ringo by their hostages, the fighters were also involved in the deaths of British aid workers David Haines and Alan Henning and Japanese journalists Haruna Yukawa and Kenji Goto.

The terror cell kidnapped at least 26 hostages while operating in Syria from 2012 to 2015.

All of the cell members have either been killed or arrested by authorities. One member was killed in drone strikes in Syria back in 2015 while another is currently imprisoned in Turkey.

Yet another  was convicted by a Virginia court earlier this month after a tense 11-day prosecution attended by victims' families and former hostages. He faces life in prison for lethal hostage-taking and conspiracy to murder and will be sentenced in September.

jsi, sl/msh (Reuters, AFP)

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