In 2014, videos of beheadings by members of the Islamic State terrorist militia in Syria, in which detainees were dressed in orange overalls, had sparked global outrage. Now another person involved has been convicted in the United States, Britain’s Alexanda Kotey.
London-born Alexanda Kotey, who is part of the “The Beatles” terrorist cell, was sentenced to life imprisonment by an American court on April 29.
(dpa)
A notorious British member of the Islamic State terrorist militia has been sentenced to life in prison in the US for involvement in the kidnapping and killing of American citizens in Syria. According to media reports, Alexanda Kotey’s sentence was announced on Friday by a court in Alexandria, Virginia. Kotey had pleaded guilty last year. According to the indictment, the Briton belonged to an IS terrorist cell, which became known as “The Beatles” because of the origin and accent of the members.
According to the US State Department, the cell beheaded more than two dozen hostages and tortured many more. Their victims included the American journalists James Foley and Steven Sotloff and the development workers Peter Kassig and Kayla Mueller.
They are also blamed for the deaths of British aid workers David Haines and Alan Henning, and Japanese journalists Haruna Yukawa and Kenji Goto. In 2014, videos of decapitations involving prisoners dressed in orange overalls had sparked global outrage.
Alexanda Kotey (left) and El Shafee Elsheikh after their arrest in Syria in March 2018.
In a parallel trial two weeks ago, the jury found another IS jihadist, El Shafee Elsheikh, guilty. Elsheikh was extradited from the UK along with Kotey on condition they would not face the death penalty in the US.