Minister feared IS Beatles outrage

The UK home secretary feared “outrage” from the Trump administration if he sought assurances over avoiding the death penalty for two suspected Islamic State terrorists.

High Court judges heard Sajid Javid believed there was a risk of angering “key US political appointees” if he asked for a guarantee Alexanda Kotey and El Shafee Elsheikh would not be executed. The pair are said to have been part of a fourman cell of IS executioners in Syria and Iraq, nicknamed The Beatles because of their British accents.