ALEXANDRIA, Virginia – A federal jury on Thursday convicted a British extremist accused of being a member of a brutal Islamic State cell known as the Beatles of kidnapping, harassing and killing four Americans, a major victory for U.S. prosecutors and families of victims. they wanted to bring him to court.
The jury took a day to convict 33-year-old El Shafi Elsheikh of four hostage-taking charges and four conspiracy charges involving the deaths of three American men and a young woman who were captured during an Islamic State rampage through Syria. in 2012 and 2013.
Mr Elsheikh is the most prominent member of the Islamic State to stand trial in the United States. He was captured in Syria by Kurdish-backed militias in 2018, along with Alexandra Kotei, when they tried to flee to Turkey. The 38-year-old Beatles, who was part of the Beatles, said last fall that he had played a critical role in the talks on the abduction, detention and hostage-taking of American prisoners and pleaded guilty to a number of charges.
The verdict ends a two-week trial that includes the testimony of 35 witnesses, including 12 former prisoners, detailing ruthless beatings, sexual violence, boarding and murders committed by a cell of four radicalized young Britons called the Beatles for accents and sarcastic jokes.
Prosecutors say the polite accused with glasses was a central figure in the Islamic State’s hostage conspiracy, responsible for drafting ransom emails and harassing prisoners. Among these prisoners, according to them, were Kayla Mueller and three Americans – James Foley, Stephen J. Sotloff and Peter Cassig – who were later beheaded by one of Mr Elshayk’s close associates.
Mr Elsheich did not deny that he had fought for Islamic State, but in dismissing the allegations, his defense team claimed that he was not a member of the Beatles and that his alleged involvement in the abductions was a misrepresentation.
In her closing remarks Wednesday, U.S. Assistant Attorney General Raj Pareh asked jurors to pay special attention to the suffering suffered by Ms. Mueller, 24. She was not only physically abused like other U.S. prisoners, but also treated as a slave for months. before her death, under mysterious circumstances, in early 2015.
Mr Elsheich, 33, was born in Sudan and raised in London. Credit … Alexandria Sheriff’s Office, through the Associated Press
Mr Elsheich is not directly involved in the killings, but his involvement in numerous conspiracies for kidnapping, ransom and murder is enough to secure a conviction under the law, prosecutors say.
British extremists have repeatedly beaten hostages held in a prison in Raqqa, Syria, which Islamic State at the time claimed to be its capital, prosecutors said. They subjected their hostages to ill-treatment, including boarding, bogus executions, painful stressful positions, food deprivation, suffocation that resulted in power outages, electric shocks and beatings that lasted 20 minutes or more. They also forced prisoners to fight each other and witness killings, court documents said.
During the trial, the government presented testimony from released hostages detailing the sadism of cell members. But the hostages were often blindfolded, and their captors were careful to wear masks at all times, making final physical identification difficult.
The prosecution team relied heavily on Mr Elsheich’s public comments on his actions. He gave at least seven news interviews after being captured by Kurdish forces and handed over to the U.S. military in 2018, revealing knowledge of key operational details and his own role in seeking millions in ransom payments for Western hostages.
Mr Elsheich’s appearance in a US courtroom is the result of intense political and legal controversy. In August 2020, William P. Barr, the then Attorney General, agreed to abolish the death penalty against Mr Elsheich and Mr Kotei in exchange for cooperation from British prosecutors – seen as a key element in obtaining a sentence.
As part of the plea agreement, if Mr Kotei meets his requirements for co-operation, he could be sent to the UK after 15 years to serve the remainder of his mandatory life sentence.
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