British jihadis who were members of the ‘Beatles’ terrorist cell taken into US custody

Andy Wells
·Freelance Writer
Updated
Alexanda Amon Kotey, izquierda, y El Shafee Elsheikh, presuntos miembros de una célula brutal de ISIS integrada por cuatro británicos, hablan con The Associated Press en un centro de detención en Kobani, Siria, viernes 30 de marzo de 2018. (AP Foto/Hussein Malla)
Alexanda Amon Kotey (left) and El Shafee Elsheikh have been taken into US custody (AP)

Two British terrorists who were part of an Isis cell known as “the Beatles” have been removed from Syria and taken into US custody.

Alexanda Kotey and El Shafee Elsheikh are among several dozen Isis terrorists who will be seized by the US military.

The pair were part of a four-member British cell nicknamed “the Beatles” by Isis due to their British accents.

Officials say they took El Shafee Elsheikh and Alexanda Amon Kotey out of Syria to an undisclosed location.

Donald Trump said earlier on Wednesday the US had transferred some Isis prisoners amid fears they could escape custody as Turkish troops invade north-eastern Syria.

FILE - In this March 30, 2018, file photo, Alexanda Amon Kotey, left, and El Shafee Elsheikh, who were allegedly among four British jihadis who made up a brutal Islamic State cell dubbed "The Beatles," sit on a sofa during an interview with The Associated Press at a security center in Kobani, Syria. (AP Photo/Hussein Malla, File)
The pair were part of an Isis terror cell dubbed the 'Beatles' (AP)

In a tweet confirming the report, Trump described the pair as “the worst of the worst”.

Turkey launched airstrikes, fired artillery and began a ground offensive against Kurdish fighters in northern Syria on Wednesday after US troops pulled back from the area.

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Trump told reporters: "We are taking some of the most dangerous Isis fighters out…

"We've taken them out, and we're putting them in different locations where it's secure.”

President Donald Trump speaks during a ceremony to present the Presidential Medal of Freedom to former Attorney General Edwin Meese, in the Oval Office of the White House, Tuesday, Oct. 8, 2019, in Washington. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)
Donald Trump described the pair as the 'worst of the worst' (AP)
A masked, black-clad militant, who has been identified by the Washington Post newspaper as a Briton named Mohammed Emwazi, brandishes a knife in this still image from a 2014 video obtained from SITE Intel Group February 26, 2015. Investigators believe that the masked killer known as "Jihadi John", who fronted Islamic State beheading videos, is Emwazi, two U.S. government sources said on Thursday. The British government and police refused to confirm or deny his identity, which was first revealed by the Washington Post, saying it was an ongoing security investigation. REUTERS/SITE Intel Group/Handout via Reuters (CIVIL UNREST POLITICS CRIME LAW TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY) CONFLICT) ATTENTION EDITORS - THIS PICTURE WAS PROVIDED BY A THIRD PARTY. REUTERS IS UNABLE TO INDEPENDENTLY VERIFY THE AUTHENTICITY, CONTENT, LOCATION OR DATE OF THIS IMAGE. FOR EDITORIAL USE ONLY. NOT FOR SALE FOR MARKETING OR ADVERTISING CAMPAIGNS. THIS PICTURE WAS PROCESSED BY REUTERS TO ENHANCE QUALITY. AN UNPROCESSED VERSION WILL BE PROVIDED SEPARATELY
Mohammed Emwazi, known as Jihadi John, was also part of the Beatles terror cell (Reuters)

Ex-MI6 Chief Sir John Sawers told BBC Radio 4 today that any UK-born Isis fighters “should be brought back to face British justice here”.

Other members of the ‘Beatles’ terror cell included Aine Davis, who has been jailed in Turkey, and Mohammed Emwazi - otherwise known as Jihadi John, who appeared in several videos executing hostages.

Emwazi was killed in a US air strike in 2015.

The US is planning on moving Elsheikh and Kotey to Virginia where they will be put on trial, according to the New York Times.

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