El Shafee el-Sheikh was on trial Thursday in Alexandria, near Washington, for the capture and death of journalists James Foley and Steven Sotloff, as well as aid workers Kayla Mueller and Peter Kassig, and for his support for a terrorist organization.
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He did not react to the announcement of the verdict, while members of the families of the victims, present at the hearing, had tears in their eyes. El Shafee el-Sheikh, a member of the sinister “Beatles” cell within the Islamic State (IS) jihadist group, was found guilty on Thursday April 14 by the court in Alexandria, near Washington (United States) of having played a role in the kidnapping and death of four American hostages in Syria between 2012 and 2015.
Accused of being a member of this bloodthirsty trio, so nicknamed by the hostages because of their British accent, he was tried for the capture and death of journalists James Foley and Steven Sotloff, as well as aid workers Kayla Mueller and Peter Kassig, and for supporting a terrorist organization.
The jury in this trial took only 12 hours to convict him of the eight charges against him. Aged 33, El Shafee el-Sheikh chose to remain silent throughout this first major trial against the Islamist group in the United States, which lasted two weeks. Through the voice of his lawyer, he admitted having joined the ranks of EI while denying being one of the “Beatles”.