Alexandria USA: The 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 known as the “Beatles”, will begin in earnest Wednesday near Washington.
El Shafee Elsheikh, 33, is accused of involvement in the murders of American journalists James Foley and Steven Sotloff, as well as aid workers Peter Kassig and Kayla Mueller.
The day after the selection of 18 jurors, including six alternates, prosecutors and Elsheikh’s lawyers will cross swords for the first time in federal court in Alexandria, Virginia.
Elsheikh and another former British national, Alexanda Amon Kotey, were captured in January 2018 by Kurdish forces in Syria while attempting 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 citizens and supporting a foreign terrorist organisation.
Kotey pleaded guilty in September 2021 and is facing life in prison. Under his plea agreement, Kotey will serve 15 years in jail in the United States and then be extradited to Britain to face further charges.
Elsheikh opted to fight the charges. He faces an unconditional sentence of life imprisonment.
Kotey and Elsheikh’s four-member jihadist cell, dubbed the “Beatles” by their captives due to their British accents, was allegedly involved in the abductions of at least 27 people in Syria from 2012 to 2015.
The hostages, some of whom were released after their governments paid ransoms, were from at least 15 countries, including the United States, Denmark, France, Japan, Norway and Spain.
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