Alleged Islamic State “Beatles” headed to U.S. on charges of hostage deaths

Shafaq news/ Two alleged Islamic State militants known as the ‘Beatles’ will arrive in the United States on Wednesday to face trial on U.S. criminal charges for their alleged involvement in beheadings of American hostages in Syria, Reuters stated.

The alleged militants, Alexanda Kotey and El Shafee Elsheikh, have been under U.S. military guard in Iraq for the last year and are now in FBI custody. They are due to appear in federal court in Alexandria, Virginia later on Wednesday, officials said.

The two grew up in Britain and were UK citizens, but the British government withdrew their citizenship. They are suspected of membership in a four-strong Islamic State cell known as the ‘Beatles’ because of their British accents.

That group is alleged to have detained or killed Western hostages, including U.S. journalists James Foley and Steven Sotloff and aid workers Kayla Mueller and Peter Kassig. The cell became notorious for their alleged participation in graphic Islamic State videos posted online showing beheadings of foreign hostages.

“These charges are the product of many years of hard work in pursuit of justice for our citizens slain by ISIS. Although we cannot bring them back, we can and will seek justice for them, their families, and for all Americans,” Attorney General William Barr said in a statement.

Earlier, the Associated Press quoted the two fighters as saying that killing the prisoners "was a mistake.”

When asked about the benefit of beheading journalists, the two fighters said, "We did not see any benefit in the matter ... it was regretful."

“At the beginning we did not threaten the hostages, but we were forced to move forward, otherwise we would have lost our credibility," they said.