ALEXANDRIA: A US court on Friday imposed a life sentence on a member of the “Beatles” terrorist Islamic State cell for the killings of four American captives in Syria. El Shafee Elsheikh, 34, was found guilty in April of kidnapping people, planning to kill US citizens, and supporting a terrorist group. He received eight concurrent life sentences.
Judge T.S. Ellis described Elsheikh’s acts as “horrific, violent, brutal, insensitive, and, of course, unlawful” as he delivered the sentence in Alexandria, Virginia.Elsheikh, who was dressed in a dark green prison jumpsuit, a black face mask, and big spectacles, did not appear to be responding to the sentence.
The two-week trial of the former British national marked the most significant prosecution of an IS terrorist in the United States and featured heartbreaking testimony from the parents of the dead and former hostages.
James Foley’s mother, Diane Foley, addressed Elsheikh in a speech to the court on Friday and said, “Your hate-filled crimes did not gain… You are being held accountable for your wrongdoing.They were airlifted to America in 2020 to stand trial.
