The Beatle Trial
A British ISIS terrorist, accused of torturing hostages, is being tried in the US, facing life in prison.
On March 30th, 2022, the trial opened for British ISIS fighter El Shafee El Sheikh. The opening statements were made in a federal court in Alexandria, Virginia. His defense lawyer, Edward McMahon, called him a “simple ISIS fighter”. He casted doubt about El Sheikh´s responsibility in these horrific events.
He adds there were discrepancies on the testimonies of released hostages. McMahon claims evidence is “inconsistent and unconvincing”. Also, he says that since el Sheikh was wearing a black mask, he could be totally identified as a Beatle. He also mentioned that the accused one admitted this to avoid imprisonment in Iraq, where he would get a harsher punishment.
British ISIS member El Shafee El Sheikh. Source: BBC News
On the other hand, prosecutor John Gibs, said the prisoner “played a role in a brutal hostage-taking scheme”. He also described him as an ISIS leader who relished cruelty. During the trial, the jurors will watch execution videos and other graphic evidence of his crimes. Prosecutors think he is Jihadi Ringo, one of the four British ISIS terrorists who held western captives. However, some surviving hostages identify him as Jihadi George. If he is Ringo, then he is the one who lectured the captives about the justifications for their confinement. “You are the next one!” he shouted to a group of western hostages, after filming the execution of a Syrian prisoner.
Despite having admitted in previous interviews he helped the Islamic State to seek ransoms, he now claims his statements were false. He adds the hostages that identified him as a Beatle are mistaken. He says he was only a subordinate, responsible for recollecting information about the hostages so the captors could then contact their families and discuss ransoms.
El Shafee El Sheikh was born in Sudan. He moved to Britain when he was a child. In 2012 he travelled to Syria to join an al-Qaeda affiliate there, and then ISIS. The UK stripped him of his citizenship. It is said that along with his partner, Alexanda Kotey, he took part in a “prolonged pattern of physical and psychological violence against hostages”. This includes waterboarding, electric shocks, and mock executions.
They belonged to the “Beatles” cell, which is involved in the abductions of at least 27 people in Syria, from 2012 to 2015. The hostages were from a varied number of countries, including the United States, the United Kingdom, France, Italy, Norway, Denmark, Spain, Japan, Peru, and Sweden.
Peter Kassig; Steven Sotloff; Alan Henning; David Haines; and Kenjo Goto were among the victims of the Beatles. Source: BBC News
He is charged with the murder of US hostages James Foley, Steven Sotloff, Peter Kassig and Kayla Mueller; British citizens David Haines and Alan Henning; and Japanese Haruna Yukawa and Kenji Goto Jogo. He will receive his sentence next month, facing life imprisonment. The charges against him are: conspiracy to commit hostage taking; hostage taking resulting in death; conspiracy to murder American citizens; and providing support to a terrorist organization. The prosecutor also accuses him of coordinating ransom negotiations.
The trial is expected to last between three and four weeks. It will include testimonies of former hostages and his victims’ families.
Among the ones who have been there testifying against him are the mothers of James Foley and Kayla Mueller.
Diane, mother of James mother, claims “it sunk in” when President Obama announced her son’s death. She said it was an “incredible shock” when she learned about it. John Foley, father of James, also attended on Monday, but said nothing.
Marsha Mueller, Kayla’s mother, testified on Tuesday. Her daughter was taken hostage in Aleppo back in August 4th, 2013, after she visited a Doctors without Borders Hospital. Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, deceased ISIS leader, used her as a slave. During the courtroom hearing, Mrs. Mueller described how she exchanged 27 emails with ISIS. In them, the group demanded the release of Aafia Siddiqui, a woman held by the US, for 5 million Euros. Further, the jihadists threatened to “put a bullet in Kayla’s head” in revenge for a failed US raid in July 2014 to release the hostages. Marsha said she knew nothing about the incident.
She then read aloud one of Kayla’s letters sent from captivity. The US raid to kill Islamic State leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi was named Operation Kayla Mueller, and codenamed Task Force 814, since her birthday was on August 14.
Kayla Mueller was held by the Beatles and Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi himself. Source: Twitter
Mueller´s friend Omar Alkhani, insulted El Sheikh in Arabic during the break, telling him he would go to hell. Therefore, he was threatened with being expelled of the room if that behavior repeated.
Paula and Ed Kassig, parents of the US aid worker beheaded by ISIS in November 2014, were also present. Ed read aloud a letter written by Peter during captivity and sent to them. He mentions there how he is afraid. This caused some people in the courtroom to fight back tears, even the judge T.S. Ellis appeared to be doing that.
Some of the surviving hostages were also present. One of them is Marc Marginedas, a Spanish journalist. Facing his former captor, he recounted with detail how the “Beatles” tortured him and his comrades. He recalled in English how the jihadists decided he was an important prisoner. Therefore, he was left without water in a hospital basement in Aleppo. When he was released, he had a broken rib, had deficiency of vitamin E, and had lost 40 lb.
Spanish journalist Javier Espinosa, who was also held hostage, described him as the “craziest one”. He claims El Sheikh was George, not Ringo, adding that Jihadi John was just muscles compared to him. He was the one leading the others. Espinosa says he had hate for the western world. He also mentions of how “happy he was to have the power of deciding the life of people,who was going to live and who was going to die”.
Federico Motka, an Italian ex hostage, was also present. He was captured with David Haines in March 2013. In the courtroom, he testified how he was beaten and held in isolation in what he and his cellmates dubbed “the box”. He was put into stress positions during his 14 month imprisonment. He accused the Beatles of being fond of “playing games” with them. Motka claims his captors accused him of being arrogant, telling him they would “take him down a peg”. This means they would make him realize he is not as important as he thought. He adds the different members of the group had favorite kinds of beatings. Regarding El Sheikh, he preferred wrestling and headlocks. He once caused James Foley to pass out on one occasion because of one.
Nicolas Henin, French journalist, also testified. He describes escaping and being recaptured, as well as the punishment he received because of his escape attempt. He was beaten, strung him up in the air dangling from handcuffs that dug into his flesh in the Syrian sun, and left him in a cell for 11 days with his wrists chained to his ankles. He recalls how they made them sing “Hotel Osama”, taken after the Hotel California song.
Bethany Haines, daughter of David Haines, is currently in Virginia, and will soon appear at the courtroom. She will pleadel Sheikh to reveal where her father’s remains are. She has a statement to read in court. She has been already present at one hearing, where she looked him to the eye.
A Yazidi woman who escaped her ISIS captors is also expected to testify.
Many experts claim this to be a success, since it sets a record of prosecution when many ISIS fighters have not been prosecuted.