Islamic State 'Beatle' to plead guilty to U.S. terrorism charges
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - A British-born man who was a member of a team of Islamic State militants in Syria nicknamed "The Beatles" accused of beheading American hostages was due to plead guilty on Thursday to U.S. criminal charges, according to a federal court record.
A docket entry for the U.S. District Court in Alexandria, Virginia, showed a change of plea hearing was scheduled on Thursday for Alexanda Kotey, one of two Islamic State members who had been held in Iraq by the U.S. military before being flown to the United States to face trial on terrorism charges.
Court records show Kotey and El Shafee Elsheikh, a Sudanese-born British resident extradited to the United States with Kotey, face charges that include hostage-taking resulting in death and conspiracy to provide material support to terrorists.
Kotey and Elsheikh were citizens of the United Kingdom, but the British government withdrew their citizenship. They are alleged to have belonged to a four-member Islamic State cell nicknamed "The Beatles" because of their British accents.
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