Captured... the last of Britain’s Jihadi Beatles
Brit pair held, U.S officials claim
ISIS death squad Brits Alexanda Kotey and El Shafee Elsheikh, dubbed the Beatles, have been captured, US officials say.
TWO British extremists believed to have been members of the Islamic State execution gang “The Beatles” have been captured, US officials say.
Alexanda Kotey, 34, and El Shafee Elsheikh were reportedly detained by American allies last month.
Along with fellow Londoners Mohammed Emwazi, nicknamed Jihadi John, and Aine Davis, they were linked to hostage murders in Iraq and Syria.
The group was named after the 60s band because of their British accents.
US officials told the New York Times that Kotey and Elsheikh, 29, were captured by Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces, fighting the last remaining pockets of ISIS on the Iraq/Syria border.
They added the men were identified by their fingerprints and other biometric data. Their capture and detention was described by several officials, who spoke on the condition of anonymity because details of the case remain secret.
The Pentagon’s detention policy spokeswoman, Navy Commander Sarah Higgins, declined to comment.
It was not clear whether the US will prosecute the pair or if its military will take custody of them.
But it was claimed officials tried to keep their capture quiet to allow more time to pursue intelligence leads and prepare raids.
Last January, US authorities named Kotey, from Paddington, West London, as a member of the cell and said they had imposed sanctions on him.
Elsheikh, of nearby White City, was named a year earlier. Emwazi appeared in a number of beheading videos before being killed in a US drone strike in 2015.
Davis was jailed last year for being a member of a terrorist organisation.