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Guilty verdict for Islamic State ‘Beatle’ jihadist

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A US federal jury in Virginia has convicted an ex-British jihadist over his involvement with a notorious Islamic State terror cell.

El Shafee Elsheikh, 33, was linked to the abduction, torture and beheading of several IS hostages in Syria, including journalists and aid workers.

On Thursday, after an 11-day trial, he was found guilty of lethal hostage taking and conspiracy to commit murder.

Elsheikh was the highest profile IS fighter to stand trial in the US.

Hostages nicknamed the Sudanese-born Londoner and three other men the Beatles – after the English rock band – because of their British accents.

The group’s actions are said to have resulted in the deaths of four American hostages: journalists James Foley and Steven Sotloff, and aid workers Kayla Mueller and Peter Kassig.

They are also blamed in the deaths of British aid workers David Haines and Alan Henning, and Japanese journalists Haruna Yukawa and Kenji Goto.

Some of the victims were beheaded, with their deaths filmed and broadcast on social media. The high-profile killings triggered outrage around the world.

Elsheikh was the only one of the four militants to go on trial in the US, after Alexanda Kotey pleaded guilty to his own charges last September. Mohammed Emwazi was killed in a 2015 drone strike in Syria and Aine Davis, the fourth member, is currently imprisoned in Turkey.

Four rows in the courtroom were permanently reserved for former hostages and their family members.

The post Guilty verdict for Islamic State ‘Beatle’ jihadist appeared first on KBC.

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