Alexanda Amon Kotey, left, and El Shafee Elsheikh
Daesh fighters El Shafee Elsheikh and Alexanda Kotey are expected to make their first court appearance today. They previously had been in US military custody in Iraq and are expected to make their first appearance in the afternoon in federal court in Alexandria, Va.
Kotey, Elsheikh, Mohamed Emwazi who was killed in a 2015 US airstrike, and a fourth British citizen currently incarcerated in Turkey were dubbed “the Beatles” because of their British accents. The four were ISIS fighters and participated in the abduction of American and European hostages in Syria.
Elsheikh, 32, and Kotey, 36, both former British citizens, are charged with hostage-taking and other serious terrorism offenses that resulted in the deaths of American journalists Jim Foley and Steven Sotloff and humanitarian aid workers Peter Kassig and Kayla Mueller.
“Kotey and Elsheikh are alleged to have committed horrific crimes in support of ISIS, including hostage taking resulting in the deaths of four American citizens,” G. Zachary Terwilliger, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia said in a statement. “Their alleged acts have shattered the lives of four American families. What each these families have sought more than anything else is for these defendants to have their day in court. Well, that day has come. While we cannot return their loved ones or undo the pain that these families face each day, we can do everything possible to ensure that the defendants are held accountable for their alleged savage actions.”
The American Victims
James Wright Foley – In November 2012, Kotey, Elsheikh, Emwazi, and other ISIS fighters forcibly seized and detained Foley, a citizen of both the United States and the United Kingdom. On or about Aug. 19, 2014, ISIS’s media center released a video depicting Emwazi beheading Foley.
Kayla Jean Mueller – In August 2013, ISIS fighters forcibly seized and detained Mueller in Syria. Beginning in or about October 2014, Baghdadi sexually abused Mueller against her will while she was held captive in Syria. On or about Feb. 7, 2015, Mueller’s family received an email from ISIS fighters confirming Mueller’s death in Syria.
Steven Joel Sotloff – In August 2013, ISIS fighters forcibly seized and detained Sotloff in Syria. On or about Sept. 2, 2014, ISIS’s media center released a video depicting Emwazi beheading Sotloff.
Peter Edward Kassig – In October 2013, ISIS fighters forcibly seized and detained Kassig in Syria. On or about Nov. 16, 2014, ISIS’s media center released a video depicting the decapitated head of Kassig.
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Kotey and Elsheikh are each charged with conspiracy to commit hostage taking resulting in death; four counts of hostage taking resulting in death; conspiracy to murder United States citizens outside of the United States; conspiracy to provide material support to terrorists — hostage taking and murder — resulting in death; and conspiracy to provide material support to a designated foreign terrorist organization resulting in death. If convicted, each defendant faces a maximum penalty of life in prison. While the charges can carry the death penalty, prosecutors have reportedly take it off the table to facilitate evidence sharing with the Brits.