After the fall of their so-called caliphate in Syria, members of the Islamic State began dropping like flies. Those who were not killed by United States-backed forces were captured. Such is the case for two ISIS members currently being held in Syria in a Kurdish security center. British ISIS members El Shafee Elsheikh and Alexanda Kotey recently spoke to the Associated Press, complaining they would never receive a fair trial.
The men were half of a British quartet of terrorists known as “the Beatles,” a nickname given to them by hostages because of their English accents. The “Beatles” brutalized Western hostages, including Americans. The leader of the cell, Mohammed Emwazi, also known as “Jihadi John,” was killed in a drone strike in 2015. The fourth is currently serving a prison sentence in Turkey on terrorism charges. Emwazi appeared in a string of ISIS propaganda videos showing the brutal execution of hostages.
Elsheikh and Kotey have since been stripped of their British citizenship, for which the two men have criticized the government. They’re currently stuck in limbo because the UK doesn’t want them back. To the surviving hostages who were released by ISIS in exchange for a ransom, the Beatles were the most feared guards. Accounts have been given detailing the torture hostages endured at the hands of the British Arabs. The sight of other ISIS members was welcome over any of the Beatles.
Now these cowards want to be returned to the UK so they’ll be safe from the death penalty. While speaking with the Associated Press, the men refused to confirm if they were members of the Beatles. The most chilling statement came when the men were asked about the beheading of Western hostages. They reportedly said it was wrong to kill them, but only strategically. The hostages would have been more valuable to ISIS alive than dead. The captured men have openly acknowledged and admitted being members of ISIS.
The mother of a hostage who was beheaded by the brutal cell said she’d like to see the men punished with solitary confinement for the rest of their lives. According to Diane Foley, mother of murdered American journalist James Foley, the men need to be held accountable as soon as possible before they have an opportunity to escape. Mrs. Foley also wants the death penalty taken off the table, fearing it would only make martyrs out of the terrorists.
Elsheikh and Kotey say that allegations against them are cleverly constructed propaganda spread by mainstream media. Elsheikh also whined about losing citizenship and the dangers he faces, “being taken to any foreign land and treated in any way and having nobody to vouch for you.” Former captives and family members of those executed have called for a fair trial for the men in either the United States or Britain. The United States has urged the countries of origin to take back their ISIS-member citizens and put them on trial.
