Islamic State 'Beatle' guilty of all charges in US hostage deaths
El Shafee Elsheikh in a photo provided by the Syrian Democratic Forces following his January 2018 capture in Syria Handout Syrian Democratic Forces/AFP/File
April 14, 2022
El Shafee Elsheikh, a member of the notorious Islamic State kidnap-and-murder cell known as the "Beatles," was found guilty of all charges on Thursday in the deaths of four American hostages in Syria.
A jury convicted Elsheikh, 33, a former British national, of all eight counts after a two-week trial, the most significant prosecution of an IS member in the United States.
Elsheikh was charged with hostage-taking, conspiracy to murder US citizens -- journalists James Foley and Steven Sotloff and aid workers Peter Kassig and Kayla Mueller -- and supporting a terrorist organization.
Elsheikh and another former "Beatle," Alexanda Amon Kotey, 38, were captured by a Kurdish militia in Syria in January 2018 and handed over to US forces in Iraq.
They were flown to the United States to face trial. Kotey pleaded guilty in September 2021 and is facing life in prison.
Elsheikh also faces a potential life sentence following his conviction.
© 2022 AFP
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