Former Daesh/ISIS member pleads guilty in US court to role in deaths of Americans

By Servet Gunerigok

WASHINGTON (AA) - A former Daesh/ISIS member pleaded guilty Thursday to playing a role in the brutal killings of four Americans as well as the deaths of British and Japanese nationals in Syria.

Former British citizen Alexanda Amon Kotey, 37, participated in the captivity of American and European hostages in Syria from November 2012 through Feb. 7, 2015, the US Justice Department said in a release.

Kotey, who was one of four Daesh/ISIS members dubbed "the Beatles" by their captives because of their British accents, pleaded guilty to all eight counts against him at a plea hearing in US District Court in Alexandria, Virginia.

He and another man, El Shafee Elsheikh, 33, whose case remains pending in the US District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia, were captured together in January 2018.

"Kotey specifically participated in the seizure, detention and hostage negotiations for four American citizens – James Wright Foley, Kayla Jean Mueller, Steven Joel Sotloff and Peter Edward Kassig – each of whom died as hostages in ISIS custody.

"In addition, Kotey participated in hostage operations involving British, Italian, Danish and German nationals, among others," said the release.

The charges include hostage taking resulting in death and providing material support or resources to a terror group.

Kotey faces a mandatory sentence of life in prison and is scheduled to be sentenced on March 4, 2022. He will serve 15 years in prison in the US and will be transferred to the UK.