The Department of Justice (DOJ) and FBI announced indictments for two British ISIS terrorists, Alexandra Kotey and El Shafee Elsheikh, belonging to the notorious terrorist group “The Beatles.” The charges are related to alleged involvement in the torture and beheading of four American hostages in Syria: James Foley, Steven Sotloff, Kayla Mueller and Peter Kassig.
The pair of ISIS pledges also had alleged ties to Mueller’s sexual assault that occurred while she was held hostage. The two men left Britain to join ISIS, and had been held under U.S. military jurisdiction upon being captured in Iraq, and will now face justice on American soil. The British criminal justice system held up information and evidence related to Kotey and Elsheikh, fearing that trial in the United States may result in the death penalty. Attorney General Bill Barr took such a punishment off the table in August, allowing the pair to be prosecuted on U.S. soil in a timely manner.
FBI Director Christopher Wray said that combatting terrorism remains the FBI’s “top priority.”
FBI Director Christopher Wray: "Today's decision makes it clear that combating terrorism remains the FBI's top priority."
— Stephanie Myers (@_StephanieMyers) October 7, 2020
He committed to getting justice for the American victims and their families, “no matter how long it takes.”
“Today, we remember the victims, Jim Foley, Steven Sotloff, Peter Kassig, and Kayla Mueller, and their families who are forever affected by these senseless acts of violence,” Wray said on Wednesday. “These families have suffered with the painful loss of their loved ones at the hands of brutal killers; today's charges demonstrate the FBI's dedication and commitment to giving them the justice they deserve. We, along with our partners in the U.S. Government, remain steadfast in our duty to bring to justice those who have harmed our citizens — no matter where they are, and no matter how long it takes.”
The two men will face trial in the United States, expected to begin on Wednesday afternoon.
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