British IS 'Beatles' suspect pleads guilty

Alexanda Kotey, 37, pleaded guilty Thursday to all eight counts in a US criminal indictment for the kidnapping, torture and death of American hostages, as well as providing material support to a terror group while he was active in the so-called Islamic State.

A British-born man, Kotey became known as one of "The Beatles" by the American hostages he detained on behalf of the terror group along with three others.

Kotey and fellow "Beatle" El Shafee Elsheikh were held in Iraq after being captured by US-backed Syrian Democratic Forces while trying to flee into Turkey following the collapse of the group's alleged caliphate in Syria and Iraq in 2018.

They were transferred to US custody after officials assured UK authorities that prosecutors would not seek the death penalty even though both men are eligible due to the weight of the terrorism-related charges.

Kotey addresses the court

On Thursday, Kotey appeared at a hearing in Alexandria, Virginia before US District Judge T.S. Ellis. There he pleaded guilty to his role in the abductions and murders of American journalists James Foley and Steven Sotloff, and aid workers Peter Kassig and Kayla Mueller.

The 24-page indictment includes a list of brutal acts of torture Kotey is accused of inflicting on the American hostages, including electric shocks with a Taser, forcing hostages to fight each other, brutal beatings, and waterboarding.

In court, Kotey provided an account of some of his time within the so-called Islamic State. Kotey said he had traveled to Syria to "engage in a military fight against the Syrian forces of Bashar Assad'' but eventually he pledged allegiance to Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, the terror group's leader.

He said he participated in the kidnapping and detention of Foley and others. The brutality he and his mates inflicted on the hostages was all part of what it took to keep them in line and persuade foreign governments to pay ransoms for them, he said.

In the years since the death of the hostages, Kotey said the Islamic State gave him other responsibilities, including as a sniper and as a director of a training camp for special forces.

Punishment of virtue

As part of his plea deal, Kotey has been ordered to speak truthfully with US investigators and other foreign governments who may request to speak with him about his time in the terror group.

He also agreed to supervised meetings with the families of the hostages whose lives he helped take, should they request it. There is no requirement that he testify at the trial of fellow "Beatle" Elsheikh.

Kotey faces life in prison without parole. He could be turned over to the UK after 15 years to face charges there and serve the remainder of his sentence despite the fact that the British have revoked his citizenship due to his terror group allegiances.

A third "Beatle," Mohammed Emwazi who was also known as "Jihadi John,'' was killed in a US drone strike in 2015. The fourth "Beatle" is currently imprisoned in Turkey.

Diane Foley, the mother of the late James Foley, said: "This accountability is essential if our country wants to discourage hostage-taking."

ar/jsi (AP, Reuters)