Brit charged in terror beheadings scheduled to plead guilty

FALLS CHURCH, Va. – One of 2 British nationals charged with joining the Islamic State radical and conspiring to torture and behead American and European hostages successful Syria is scheduled to plead blameworthy to transgression charges.

Federal tribunal records amusement a alteration of plea proceeding has been scheduled for Thursday successful U.S. District Court successful Alexandria, Virginia, for Alexanda Amon Kotey.

Kotey is 1 of 4 Islamic State members who were dubbed “the Beatles” by their captives due to the fact that of their British accents.

Kotey and different man, El Shafee Elsheikh, were brought to the U.S. past twelvemonth to look charges.

Court documents bash not bespeak the circumstantial complaint oregon charges to which Kotey is expected to plead. The indictment charges them successful transportation with the deaths of 4 American hostages — writer James Foley, writer Steven Sotloff and assistance workers Peter Kassig and Kayla Mueller — arsenic good arsenic European and Japanese nationals who besides were held captive.

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The Justice Department, successful bid to get their extradition, promised neither suspect would look a decease sentence.

Nothing successful the tribunal records indicates that Elsheikh has reached a plea deal.

Raj Parekh, acting U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia and besides a subordinate of the prosecution squad connected the Kotey and Elsheikh cases, declined remark Tuesday evening.

Geremy Kamens, a national nationalist defender who represents Kotey, besides declined comment.

A 3rd Beatle, Mohammed Emwazi, besides known arsenic “jihadi John,” was killed successful a 2015 drone strike. A 4th subordinate is serving a situation condemnation successful Turkey.

The indictment says Kotey and Elsheikh radicalized successful London and near for Syria successful 2012 arsenic “leading participants successful a brutal hostage-taking scheme” that targeted American and European citizens and that progressive murders, mock executions, shocks with Tasers, carnal restraints and different brutal acts.

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Prosecutors accidental the men worked intimately with a main spokesperson for IS who reported to the group’s leader, Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, who was killed successful a U.S. subject cognition past year.

The indictment accuses Kotey and Elsheikh of participating successful the kidnapping of Foley and different captives. It says they supervised detention facilities for hostages and were liable for transferring the captives, and that they besides engaged “in a agelong signifier of carnal and intelligence violence.”

In July, prosecutors described the brace arsenic “principal offenders” successful the captivity of the 4 American hostages. Assuming Thursday's plea proceeding goes guardant arsenic scheduled, Kotey and prosecutors would taxable a connection of facts that volition spell retired successful astatine slightest immoderate item the circumstantial actions that helium took.

The 2 were captured successful Syria successful 2018 by the U.S.-supported Syrian Democratic Forces portion trying to flight to Turkey. In interviews they gave earlier being brought to the U.S., the men acknowledged they helped cod email addresses from Mueller that could beryllium utilized to nonstop retired ransom demands. Mueller was killed successful 2015 aft 18 months successful IS captivity.

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The indictment describes the execution of a Syrian captive successful 2014 and says the 2 forced their Western hostages to watch. Kotey instructed the hostages to kneel portion watching the execution and holding signs pleading for their release. Emwazi changeable the captive successful the backmost of the caput portion Elsheikh videotaped the execution. Elsheikh told 1 of the hostages, “You’re next,” prosecutors say.

Elsheikh is scheduled to spell connected proceedings successful January.

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Associated Press writer Eric Tucker contributed to this study from Washington.

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