Foreign Affairs

ISIS Terrorists Who Allegedly Kidnapped American Journalists Returning To US This Month: Report

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Two reported Islamic State terrorists who allegedly murdered American hostages in Syria are expected to be transported to the U.S. in mid-October, according to two government officials familiar with the matter.

Alexanda Kotey and El Shafee Elsheikh, known by the hostages as the “Beatles” because of their British accents, remain under U.S. military custody in Iraq, the officials told NBC News. Kotey and Elsheikh reportedly kidnapped and held hostages, including American journalists James Foley and Steven Sotloff, and U.S. aid workers Kayla Mueller and Peter Kassig.

The “Beatles” are British nationals who are reportedly responsible for 27 killings including British aid workers David Haines and Alan Henning, according to NBC. Foley, Sotloff, and Kassig were beheaded, according to news reports.

Mueller was allegedly sexually abused and tortured before she died in 2015, NBC reported. Both Kotey and Elsheikh reportedly confirmed their involvement in holding Mueller hostage.

Two ISIS ‘Beatles’ headed to US to stand trial for torture and beheadings of American hostageshttps://t.co/6s9E6XL0yE

— Fox News (@FoxNews) October 6, 2020

Elsheikh said he obtained an email address from Mueller to demand a ransom from her family, NBC reported. ISIS reportedly told the family if they didn’t pay 5 million euros, they would receive a photo of “Kayla’s dead body.”

“She was in a large room, it was dark and she was alone, and … she was very scared,” Elsheikh said, NBC reported.

Kotey and Elsheikh reportedly confessed to beating Foley, who was beheaded by the alleged leader of the kidnappers Mohammed Emwazi, NBC reported. Emwazi was killed by CIA drone Hellfire missiles in 2015, NBC reported.

Kotey and Elsheikh previously denied their role in the alleged killings and torture, NBC reported. Instead, they called themselves “liaisons” between the hostages and senior members of ISIS.

“Beatle” Aine Lesley Davis was sentenced in Turkey to seven years and six months in prison in 2015, NBC reported.

Kotey and Elsheikh were reportedly taken into U.S. military custody last year, though they were initially captured in 2018, NBC reported. Their transfer to the U.S. pending trial was delayed because British officials were concerned the men would receive the death penalty.

After Attorney General William Barr said Kotey and Elsheikh would not receive the death penalty, the U.K. courts’ ban on sharing information regarding their cases was lifted, NBC reported. The “Beatles” British citizenship was revoked after they were found to be members of ISIS.