US Attorney pledges to Britain not to seek the execution of the two members of the "Beatles" terrorist cell

US Attorney General William Barr pledged to Britain that two former members of the "Beatles" cell of the terrorist organization ISIS, accused of killing Americans, would not face the death penalty if they were subjected to trial in the United States, according to what the US Department of Justice said Wednesday.

RELATED | USA | AG Barr promises to rule out death penalty for ISIS 'Beatles', victims' families say

Barr told Britain's Homeland Security Secretary Priti Patel in a letter Tuesday that his ministry would not seek the death penalty for British citizens Alexander Coty and Al Shafei Al Sheikh, who were part of a kidnapping cell called the "Beatles", and since then have been stripped of their nationalities.

Barr assured in his letter that even "if" the punishment "is imposed on them," it will not be carried out.

Barr made this pledge in order to obtain evidence against the accused held by the US forces in Iraq.

Britain, which has not acted to prosecute the Beatles, does not impose the death penalty. A British court has prevented cooperation in the case if the defendants face a possible death sentence in the United States.

"If the trial is to take place in the United States, our prosecutors should have access to the important evidence that we requested from the United Kingdom that is available there for efforts to hold Coty and the Sheikh accountable for their terrorist crimes," Barr wrote in his letter.

Kotty and the Sheikh were part of a kidnapping gang of four members of the terrorist organization ISIS, whose captives called them "the Beatles" because of their sharp British accent.

RELATED | Islamic State's ‘Beatles’ could finally face justice for alleged role in beheading Americans

The cell is notorious for videotaping the beheadings of its hostages, and its members have allegedly killed American journalist James Foley and Western aid workers.

The cell also included Muhammad Amwazi, known as "Jihadi John," who was killed in an airstrike in 2015, in addition to Ayn Davis, imprisoned in Turkey.

NB: This article has been Google translated from Arabic into English. Click here to read the original.

Source: arabic.euronews.com, Staff, August 20, 2020

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