A US federal jury on Thursday convicted a British man accused of belonging to the Islamic State (IS) terrorist group for the kidnapping, torture and death of four US citizens in Syria in 2012 and 2013. Shafee Elsheikh, 33, was part of the Cell nicknamed The Beatles, due to the British accent.
The trial took place in Alexandria, Virginia, and the charges against Elsheikh could carry the death penalty. Prosecutors in the case, however, have already announced to UK authorities that they should not seek such a sentence.
Elsheikh was one of four militants who belonged to the Beatles cell, which attracted international attention after releasing videos of the moment of the murders of American journalists James Foley and Steven Sotloff and aid workers Kayla Mueller and Peter Kassig.
He remained silent for most of the trial, which lasted two weeks in all. Throughout the opening arguments, lawyers for the Briton tried to present arguments that cast doubt on his connection to the murders.
They said that Elsheikh acknowledged having joined the terrorist group, but that he was not part of the Beatles. The former hostages called to testify also did not identify him as a member.
More than 35 witnesses appeared at the trial, including 12 former prisoners of the cell who detailed beatings, sexual abuse, torture with drowning and murders carried out by members of the group. Prosecutors argued that Elsheikh was a central figure in the conspiracy and that he was responsible for composing ransom emails, as well as engaging in torture.
Elsheikh was born in Sudan and grew up in London, but was stripped of British citizenship in 2018 – a move he described as “illegal”.
In addition to him, Alexanda Kotey, also a member of the group, was transferred to the custody of the US Armed Forces in October 2019. Kotey pleaded guilty to the murders of the two journalists and the aid workers last September.
Mohammed Emwazi, another member who oversaw the executions of the Americans, died in a drone attack in 2015. Aine Lesley Davis, the fourth member of the group, was convicted in Turkey on terrorism charges and then imprisoned.
“Evidence shows that they grew up together, radicalized together, fought together as high-ranking IS fighters, held hostages, tortured and terrorized them,” prosecutor Raj Parekh said on Wednesday. “What these horrible crimes left behind is a legacy of brutal murders and broken families.”
The brother of David Haines, a British journalist who was also allegedly murdered by the Beatles cell, told the BBC that the trial marks the end of an eight-year chapter of pain and suffering for his family. “It marks the triumph of society against evils like terrorism, and it helps us differentiate between the hateful and divisive ideologies that fuel these individuals,” he said.
