Islamic State Member El Shafee Elsheikh Sentenced To Life In Prison Islamic State

The sentence by Judge TS Ellis III for former British national El Shafee Elsheikh, 33, came after he was convicted by a jury in April at the end of a six-week trial. Jurors concluded that Elsheikh was part of a ring that spoke with British accents, was nicknamed “the Beatles”, held Americans hostage and beheaded them in Iraq and Syria. Born in Sudan and raised in London, Elsheikh was convicted of involvement in the murders of James Foley, Steven Sotloff, Peter Kassig and Kayla Mueller. Foley’s mother, Diane Foley, spoke at Elsheikh’s sentencing on Friday, which was the eighth anniversary of her son’s beheading. “Hate really took over your humanity,” Foley said, adding that Elsheich’s life sentence could deter other would-be hostage takers. Foley and Sotloff were journalists. Kassing was a humanitarian. Their beheadings – confirmed in 2014 – were caught on video. Islamic State leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi repeatedly raped Mueller before her death was confirmed in early 2015. At least 26 people between 2012 and 2015 were kidnapped by the group of which Elsheikh was a part. The group was also linked to the deaths of British aid workers David Haynes and Alan Henning and Japanese journalists Haruna Yukawa and Kenji Goto. US-backed Kurdish forces captured Elsheikh during the collapse of Islamic State in 2018. He was later transferred to a US prison for his role in the deaths of Foley, Sotloff, Kassig and Mueller. Prosecutors said he confessed, including in media interviews he gave while in custody. In these interviews, Elsheikh admitted to beating hostages and causing them to email their families with ransom demands. Elsheikh’s defense team has argued that his confessions were coerced and plans to appeal both his conviction and the accompanying life sentence. He did not speak during his sentencing Friday in federal court in Alexandria, Virginia. Ellis, the judge in the case, refused to recommend that federal prison officials keep Elscheich out of solitary confinement for the rest of his life, despite a request from defense attorneys. “The conduct of this defendant … can only be described as horrific, barbaric, brutal, cruel and, of course, criminal,” Ellis said. Federal prosecutor Raj Parekh said authorities were “uncovering the vicious and sadistic [Islamic State] Beatles’ through the pursuit of Elsheikh and his compatriots. The charges against Elsheikh were technically enforceable, but US prosecutors said they would not seek the death penalty – which could involve years of costly legal challenges – in exchange for British cooperation in the case after his arrest in 2018. Elsheikh, who was born in Sudan and grew up in London, has since been stripped of his British citizenship. Another member of the ring, Alexanda Kotey, was sentenced to life in federal prison earlier this year after pleading guilty in September to the murders of Foley, Sotloff, Kassig and Mueller. A missile strike by US and British forces in 2015 killed a third member of the core, Mohammed Emouazi. Some hostages released as part of the negotiations testified during Elsheikh’s trial about the torture they were subjected to. Family members of the victims also testified. Reuters and The Associated Press contributed to this report

title: “Islamic State Member El Shafee Elsheikh Sentenced To Life In Prison Islamic State Klmat” ShowToc: true date: “2022-11-26” author: “Sarah Winchell”

title: “Islamic State Member El Shafee Elsheikh Sentenced To Life In Prison Islamic State Klmat” ShowToc: true date: “2022-11-09” author: “Robert Lorenzo”

title: “Islamic State Member El Shafee Elsheikh Sentenced To Life In Prison Islamic State Klmat” ShowToc: true date: “2022-11-07” author: “Virginia Williams”