LONDON — Aine Davis, an alleged member of a notorious Islamic State group that tortured, starved and killed hostages in Syria, has been charged with terrorism offenses after he landed in England following his deportation by Turkish authorities.
U.K. charges alleged ISIS ‘Beatles’ member with terrorism offenses
London’s Metropolitan Police Service said in a statement that Davis was charged with offenses under the Terrorism Act. He appeared in Westminster Magistrates’ Court on Thursday and will be held in custody.
The charges relate to alleged terrorism offenses from 2014 and possession of a firearm for a purpose connected with terrorism, the Crown Prosecution Service said.
Davis has denied being part of an Islamic State quartet known as the “Beatles” because of their British accents.
U.S. investigators say the group beheaded at least 27 hostages — including American journalists James Foley and Steven Sotloff. Footage of the gruesome killings was recorded and shared online.
Two members of the group, Alexanda Kotey and El Shafee Elsheikh, are imprisoned in the United States, while the group’s leader, Mohammed Emwazi, who was known globally as “Jihadi John,” was killed in a U.S.-British drone strike in Syria in 2015.
Kotey pleaded guilty in September in federal court in Alexandria, Va., to playing a role in the kidnapping and deaths of journalists Foley, Sotloff and aid workers Peter Kassig and Kayla Mueller. He was given a life sentence.
Elsheikh became the only member of the group to be convicted by a U.S. jury, earlier this year. He was found guilty of conspiring to murder Foley, Sotloff, Kassig and Mueller — and faces a mandatory life sentence.
Rachel Weiner in Washington, D.C., contributed to this report.
Source: WP
