Family Of British IS Suspect Tell Of 'Distress'

The family of a Briton allegedly part of an Islamic State (IS) terror cell linked to "Jihadi John" have spoken of their "deep distress".

Alexanda Kotey, a Londoner who has been named in reports as a key conspirator of Mohammed Emwazi, has not been seen for "a number of years" by his relatives.

Emwazi was seen murdering hostages in several IS videos, including British aid workers Alan Henning and David Haines.

In a statement, Kotey's relatives said: "The Kotey family are deeply distressed about recent media reports involving Alexe. They have not seen Alexe for a number of years.

"They would ask the media to respect their privacy and to desist from attempting to contact them, and not to seek to take or publish any photographs of them."

Kotey is a 32-year-old father-of-two who converted to Islam as a teenager, say reports.

It is believed he went to the Al Manaar mosque in Notting Hill with Emwazi, who was killed in a drone strike in Syria late last year.

In November, Sky News named Aine Leslie Davis, who is also from London, as another associate of Emwazi's who had attended the same mosque.

Together, they were called "The Beatles" by IS hostages because of their British accents.

Davis was arrested by Turkish police the day before the Paris terror attacks, which killed 130 people.

He faces allegations he was plotting an imminent attack on Europe similar to those seen in France.

His wife Amal El-Wahabi was jailed for two years in 2014 after being convicted of funding terrorism.

The Old Bailey heard how she had convinced a friend to smuggle €15,380 into Turkey to finance her husband's fighting with IS.

Kotey was named following an investigation by BuzzFeed and the Washington Post.

Their journalists spoke to Kotey's neighbours, who described him as a "reserved, polite boy" who supported Queen's Park Rangers.

They said he became increasingly radicalised and encouraged friends to join IS in Syria.

He is believed to have fled the UK in 2009, leaving his two children behind.