A member of the ISIS terrorist cell nicknamed “The Beatles” was sentenced this Friday to life in prison by a federal judge in Alexandria, Virginia, after the murder of four Americans who were held hostage between 2012 and
.
The subject identified as Alexanda Kotey, who joined the terrorist El Shafee Elsheikh, was sentenced for the crimes he caused four Americans who later died, including photojournalist James Foley in 2012.
Kotey and Elsheikh, both of British nationality, were part of an ISIS cell nicknamed “The Beatles” because of their accents. The leader of the group was Mohammed Emwazi, better known as “Jihadi John”, who was assassinated in Syria in 2014.
Elsheikh, who was sentenced earlier this month, will face sentencing in the coming days. The judge ordered him to also be present at sentencing on Friday to hear statements given by the victims’ relatives, Fox News reported.
Michael Foley, brother of photojournalist James Foley, who was beheaded by Islamic State terrorists in Syria after being kidnapped from 2012, he said of the two terrorists that he pitied them for “choosing hate.”
Meanwhile, the United States Department of Justice reported that Kotey participated in the seizure, detention and hostage negotiations of four Americans, including Foley, as well as Kayla Mueller, Steven Sotloff and Peter Kassing .
Kotey, aged 38, previously pleaded guilty to eight charges related to taking hostage and terrorism charges resulting in death. He converted to Islam before traveling to Syria and serving with ISIS between 2012 and 2015, when he was captured by Kurdish fighters.
Hostage Kayla Mueller was killed in 2015 during an airstrike while still under ISIS control. Foley, Kassing and Sotloff were beheaded in 2014.
“We miss our beautiful daughter,” said the mother of Kayla Mueller during her shock statement, as she recalled the details she learned about her daughter’s torture and rape. Meanwhile, Carl, Kayla’s father, acknowledged: “I lost my faith in God and in our government.”
Despite the accusations Kotey faces, the Department of Justice reported that he participated in hostages involving British, Danish, Italian and German citizens, among other nationalities.
With information from Fox News
You may also be interested in:
• ISIS sympathetic teenagers planned to bomb a mosque in Chicago during the ‘Spring Break’, said the FBI
• Man dies in Washington DC after setting himself on fire in front of the Supreme Court building
• The Islamic State called for attacks in Europe taking advantage of the war in Ukraine