This cell of the terrorist group was specializing in the capture, torture and execution of Western hostages.
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An alleged member of the “Beatles” of the jihadist group Islamic State (IS) has been charged in the United Kingdom, police announced on Thursday August 11. Arrested at London’s Luton Airport on Wednesday, Aine Leslie Davis was presented at a brief hearing before Westminster Magistrates Court in London, after which he was kept in custody. The judge pointed out his “propensity to travel with false documents”.
Arrested in Turkey in November 2015, the 38-year-old man had since been imprisoned there for acts of terrorism. The next preliminary hearing is scheduled for September 2, in court at the Old Bailey.
The four members of the “Beatles” cell, so nicknamed because of their British accent, are accused of having kidnapped at least 27 journalists and humanitarian workers from the United States, the United Kingdom, New Zealand, Russia or Japan. They are also suspected of having tortured and killed, including by beheading, American journalists James Foley and Steven Sotloff, as well as aid workers Peter Kassig and Kayla Mueller. IS had released propaganda videos showing their executions on social media.
Two of the “Beatles”, Alexanda Kotey (38) and El Shafee el-Sheikh (34), former British nationals, were arrested in January 2018 by a Kurdish militia in Syria. Sent to the United Kingdom, they were finally extradited to the United States in 2020. Alexanda Kotey was sentenced to life imprisonment there last April. The fourth Beatles executioner, Mohammed Emwazi, was killed by an American drone in Syria in 2015.