‘I’m not strong enough to forgive David’s IS killers’

JUSTICE: Dundee man takes ‘courage, and comfort’ from children’s poems about lost brother

The brother of murdered humanitarian David Haines said he is “not strong enough to forgive” the British jihadis responsible for the killing, but said he took “courage, support and comfort” from children’s poems written in his sibling’s memory.

Mike Haines said he initially felt like he wanted “to go to Syria and kill” after aid worker David, 44, was captured and beheaded in 2014 after being held by a four-man terrorist group of Britons dubbed “The Beatles”.

David, a father-of-two from Perth, was working for an aid agency in Syria when he was captured in March 2013 before being killed on camera by the terrorists.

Mohammed Emwazi – the group’s ringleader, also known as Jihadi John – was killed in a US air strike in 2015, while Aine Davis is in jail in Turkey for terror offences. The other two cell members, Alexanda Kotey and El Shafee Elsheikh, are in US custody.

Asked whether he would ever be able to forgive those responsible for his brother’s barbaric death, Mr Haines said: “Forgiveness is a very tough word and I’m not a strong enough man to forgive my brother’s murderers – maybe one day.

“Forgiveness is not the word I would use. It is possibly ‘understanding’.

“We need to understand them, people who have gone out for whatever reason, we need to understand their actions, we need to know they will face justice.”

There have been calls, including from former MI6 chief Sir John Sawers, for the remaining “Beatles” to be brought before a UK court and put on trial in the same way Manchester Arena bomb conspirator Hashem Abedi was brought before the Old Bailey earlier this year.

Mr Haines, 54, from Dundee, said it was right for those who had committed crimes “to face a proper judicial system”.

He added: “It’s not for me to influence or judge any system that deals with these people. I’m too close to it.

“It’s easy to think with our hearts and emotion.

“When I first heard of my brother’s murder my first emotion was anger, hatred – I wanted to go to Syria and kill.

“But it needs cool heads and logical thinking, we need to think with our brains not our hearts to find a solution to how we deal with these people.”

Mr Haines said he had taken particular comfort from thousands of entries to a school poetry competition, Words Of Unity, set up in his brother’s memory for pupils to share what “unity” means to them.

He said: “There were poems that talked about David and his murder – they were very difficult.

“They were pouring their hearts into their poems, I had to take a break because the emotions were so strong.

“But they have given me courage, support and comfort.”

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