British ISIS jihadi 'Beatles' must now face trial, say relatives of slain captive James Foley

Mother of US journalist killed by Jihadi John: henchmen must face justice in court +++ Diane Foley joins former captive and minister in call for terrorists to face trial
Mohammed Emwazi, dubbed “Jihadi John” was killed in a US air strike in 2015
SITE Intel Group/Reuters

Relatives of a former hostage joined a former captive and a minister today in calling for two henchmen of “Jihadi John” who have been captured in Syria to be put on trial.

Diane Foley, whose son James, 40, a US journalist, was killed in an Islamic State execution video at the hands of Mohammed Emwazi, also known as Jihadi John, wants Alexanda Kotey and El Shafee Elsheikh to be jailed for life but only after they face justice in court.

Nicolas Henin, who was held captive for 10 months with Mr Foley by the British jihadis — who with a fourth member, Aine Davis, were dubbed The Beatles — said Kotey and Elsheikh must be “judged fairly”.

He warned against sending them to Guantanamo Bay. Defence minister Tobias Ellwood, whose brother was killed in the 2002 Bali terror attack, also spoke out against flying the men to the US military prison.

James Foley was killed in an Islamic State execution video at the hands of Mohammed Emwazi (Picture: Rex)

Mr Ellwood suggested a special system needed to be set up, possibly involving the international criminal court in The Hague, to deal with hundreds of foreign jihadis who went to Syria and Iraq.

Speaking hours after the capture Defence minister Tobias Ellwood, whose brother John was killed in the 2002 Bali terror attack, also spoke out against flying them to Guantanamo.

Savage murder: US photojournalist James Foley

He suggested a special system needed to be set up, possibly involving the international criminal court in The Hague, to deal with hundreds of foreign jihadis who went to Syria and Iraq.

Speaking just hours after the capture of Kotey, 34, from Shepherd’s Bush and El-sheikh, 29, from White City, became public, Mrs Foley told BBC radio: “Their crimes are beyond imagination.

“I would like them to be brought to trial in the US but as long as they are brought to fair trial and detained and justice is served I would be most grateful.

“Beatles”: Londoner El Shafee Elsheikh

“It does not bring James back but hopefully it protects others from this kind of crime.

“I would like them to spend the rest of their lives being detained in a prison.”

Mr Henin, who struggles to speak of the unimaginable horrors he experienced at the hands of “The Beatles” before being freed in April 2014, emphasised that he wanted “justice” not revenge as this would be “just another call for violence”.

Alexanda Kotey must face life, says mother of US journalist James Foley who was killed by ISIS

“I don’t think that the local authorities in northern Syria, or detention in Guantanamo Bay would be justice,” he said.

“I would like to see them brought back to Britain, just like I would like to see all of the European jihadis brought back to their home countries to be judged fairly in their home countries.”

Kotey and El-sheikh were detained by US-allied Kurdish militia fighters in January, according to the New York Times.

El Shafee Elsheikh is the final member of the terror group dubbed The Beatles

Along with Emwazi and Aine Davis, currently in jail in Turkey, they are believed to have been part of a group named after the 60s band because of their English accents.

The four Londoners were linked to a string of hostage murders in Iraq and Syria, including British aid workers David Haines and Alan Henning, during the bloody Islamist uprising.

US officials told the NYT that Kotey and El-sheikh were captured by the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces which were fighting the last remaining pockets of IS fighters near the river Euphrates on the Iraq/Syria border.

It added that the men were identified by fingerprints and other biometric means.

Grief: Diane Foley, the mother of James who was killed by Jihadi John

Mr Ellwood, who rushed to administer first aid to Pc Keith Palmer during the terror attack in Westminster last March, stressed that Britain has “robust rules of engagement which legitimise the killing of terrorists in theatres of operations” but that once captured “they must answer and be judged by a legitimate authority”.

He added: “The horror of 9/11 meant we briefly lost sight of the standards and rule of law that took centuries to develop and fundamentally distinguish us from the terrorist.

“Guantanamo Bay created a new combatant status that by passed the Geneva convention, used torture and failed to address (indeed fuelled) a wider global jihadist insurgency that continues today.

“Given the scale of foreign fighters attracted to DAESH (IS) we should consider an agreed international process involving The Hague, which ensures terrorists from any origin are transparently and fairly held account for their actions.”

Bringing Kotey and El-sheikh back to the UK is understood to be unlikely as they are believed to have been stripped of their British citizenship.

Tom Tugendhat, chairman of the Commons foreign affairs committee, said: “Those who take up arms against their country are traitors.

"These jihadists deserve to have the full force of the law used against them...But it is important that we use the law not brutal, summary justice of the kind these men used on their victims.”

Defence Secretary Gavin Williamson recently suggested British jihadis should be barred from Britain and hunted and killed.

He said: “I do not believe that any terrorist, whether they come from this country or any other, should ever be allowed back into this country.”

A spokesman for Jeremy Corbyn said: “They should face justice and a fair trial for the crimes that have been committed.”

Former child refugee Elsheikh was a mechanic in London.

In January 2017, US authorities named Kotey as a member of the cell and said they had imposed sanctions on him.

In a statement at the time, they said: “Kotey likely engaged in the group’s executions and exceptionally cruel torture methods, including electronic shock and waterboarding.

Elsheikh, it said, “was said to have earned a reputation for waterboarding, mock executions, and crucifixions while serving as an Isis jailer”.

British officials believe their capture may offer a “treasure trove” of information about IS.

Emwazi, who was killed in a US air strike in 2015, appeared in a number of videos in which captives including were beheaded.

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