IS 'Beatle' El Shafee Elsheikh sentenced to life in prison by US court

IS 'Beatle' El Shafee Elsheikh sentenced to life in prison by US court
IS 'Beatle' El Shafee Elsheikh, 34, was given eight concurrent life sentences after being convicted in April of hostage-taking, conspiracy to murder US citizens and supporting a terrorist organisation.
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El Shafee Elsheikh, 34, was sentenced in Alexandria, Virginia in the United States [OLIVIER DOULIERY/AFP/Getty]

A member of the notorious Islamic State kidnap-and-murder cell known as the "Beatles" was sentenced to life in prison by a US court on Friday for the deaths of four American hostages in Syria.

El Shafee Elsheikh, 34, was given eight concurrent life sentences after being convicted in April of hostage-taking, conspiracy to murder US citizens and supporting a terrorist organisation.

District Court Judge T.S. Ellis said Elsheikh's conduct "can only be described as horrific, barbaric, brutal, callous and, of course, criminal" as he handed down the sentence in Alexandria, Virginia.

Elsheikh, wearing large glasses, a black face mask and a dark green prison jumpsuit, gave no visible reaction to the sentencing.

The two-week trial of the former British national, which featured emotional testimony from former hostages and parents of the victims, was the most significant prosecution of an IS militant in the United States.

Diane Foley, mother of murdered hostage James Foley, in a statement to the court on Friday addressed Elsheikh, saying "your hate-filled crimes did not win… You have been held accountable for your depravity.

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"Love is much stronger than hatred. I pity you Elsheikh for choosing hatred."

At the trial, the jury had deliberated for less than six hours before finding Elsheikh guilty for his role in the deaths of four Americans – journalists Foley and Steven Sotloff and aid workers Peter Kassig and Kayla Mueller.

Elsheikh and another former "Beatle," Alexanda Amon Kotey, were captured by a Kurdish militia in Syria in January 2018 and handed over to US forces in Iraq.

They were flown to the United States in 2020 to face trial.

Kotey, 38, pleaded guilty in September 2021 and was sentenced to life in prison in April.

"Beatle" executioner Mohammed Emwazi was killed by a US drone in Syria in 2015.

Elsheikh declined to address the court on Friday but his attorneys said he intended to appeal the verdict on the grounds of "ineffective counsel".