“On behalf of the US Division of Justice, I’m writing to supply an assurance that if the UK grants our mutual authorized help request, the US is not going to search the loss of life penalty in any prosecutions it would carry towards Alexanda Kotey or El Shafee Elsheikh, and if imposed, the loss of life penalty is not going to be carried out,” Lawyer Common William Barr wrote in a letter to UK Residence Secretary Priti Patel. The ISIS members — initially a gaggle of 4 males — have been referred to as the Beatles as a result of their British accents and are believed to be accountable for a number of high-profile executions of hostages, a few of which they videotaped.They have been a part of an ISIS execution cell that has been accused by the State Division of “holding captive and beheading roughly two dozen hostages,” together with James Foley, American journalist Steven Sotloff and American help employee Peter Kassig.In 2015, one of many Beatles was killed and one other was arrested and finally placed on trial in Turkey. Kotey and Elsheikh have been captured in Syria in 2018. The UK stripped all the lads of citizenship way back to 2015, and it now refuses to place Kotey and Elsheikh on trial, citing the authorized issues of repatriating former residents.The US has largely resisted taking custody of non-US residents who fought for ISIS. If Barr succeeds in bringing Kotey and Elsheikh to trial in American courts, it will be the primary time the US prosecutes non-US residents for combating for the terrorist group.The 2 ISIS members are being held by the US navy in Iraq, the place they have been amongst a number of high-profile ISIS prisoners transferred to US navy custody after Turkey launched a navy incursion into northern Syria in 2019, elevating concern concerning the safety of the prisons operated by America’s native Syrian allies.Barr’s letter stated that if the UK authorities doesn’t present the US with the knowledge and proof wanted to assist the ISIS members’ prosecution by October 15, then “it ought to be clearly understood that the US will transfer ahead with plans to switch Kotey and Elsheikh to Iraq for prosecution within the Iraqi justice system.”Many ISIS members who’ve been tried in Iraqi courts have been sentenced to loss of life.’Exceptionally merciless’The UK had moved earlier to share the knowledge wanted to prosecute the pair with out assurances that the US wouldn’t search the loss of life penalty. That effort was blocked following a problem mounted in a UK court docket.Kotey has been accused by the US State Division of getting “possible engaged within the group’s executions and exceptionally merciless torture” of Western journalists and help employee hostages. Elsheikh “was stated to have earned a fame for waterboarding, mock executions, and crucifixions,” in line with the State Division. In an interview with CNN in July, each males confessed their components within the ransoming of Western hostages. Elsheikh additionally supplied an unprecedented apology for his actions with the group.One other member of the execution cell, nicknamed Jihadi John, was killed in a US airstrike in 2015.Relations of Americans killed by ISIS penned an opinion piece in The Washington Put up final month calling on the Trump administration to make use of American courts to prosecute ISIS fighters being held by the US navy within the area.CNN’s Evan Perez contributed to this report.
