Alexanda Amon Kotey: ISIS ‘Beatles’ jihadi to plead guilty for brutal hostage scheme
ALEXANDRIA, VIRGINIA: A member of the notorious ISIS execution squad dubbed 'The Beatles' is listed to plead guilty on Thursday, September 2, to charges related to the “brutal hostage-taking scheme” in Syria, court records show.
Alexanda Amon Kotey, 37, is one of two British nationals brought to the US in 2020 to face charges related to torturing and beheading Western hostages in Syria, including American journalist James Foley. The designated 'global terrorist' is now scheduled to appear in US District Court in Alexandria, Virginia, at 5.30 pm on Thursday, September 2, for a “change of plea hearing,” federal court records show. The indictment accuses him of a “brutal hostage-taking scheme” that involved “kidnapping and torturing American citizens and nationals of other countries” as part of a “propaganda campaign” for ISIS. Including the deaths of, journalist James Foley, journalist Steven Sotloff and aid workers Peter Kassig and Kayla Mueller as well as European and Japanese nationals.
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Who is Alexanda Amon Kotey?
Born on December 13, 1983, Kotey, known as Jihadi Ringo, is a former British citizen who was captured by the Syrian Democratic Forces while he was reportedly fleeing from the fall of the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL). ISIL, a terrorist group is known for its activities primarily in war-torn Iraq and Syria. Kotey has been designated a terrorist by the United States and identified in the media as one of the four "Jihadi Beatles" who took part in ISIL crimes in the Syrian Civil War. Previously, he has denied being a member of "The Beatles" but has admitted to joining the ISIL terrorist group and going to Syria. Kotey was born to a Ghanaian father and Greek Cypriot mother and he spent his youth in Shepherd's Bush. According to a report by The Daily Telegraph, he is a supporter of Queens Park Rangers FC and dreamed of joining the team when he grew up. Kotey allegedly worked as a drug dealer in London before entering the world of terrorism. He is believed to have converted to Islam in his early twenties and left two young children in Britain.
Kotey and another man, El Shafee Elsheikh, came to the US last year to face charges, having been stripped of their UK citizenship. In order to obtain their extradition, the Department of Justice promised that neither defendant would face a death sentence. Before their arrests, they admitted in their interrogations that they were part of the high-profile squad dubbed “the Beatles” because of their British accents. They also whined about how hard it would be to get a fair trial.