The Beatles (terrorist cell)

"The Beatles", dubbed as such by their hostages because of their British accents, are an active Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant terrorist group. Its members were nicknamed John, Paul, George, and Ringo by the hostages, after the four members of the British rock group the Beatles.

They are responsible for beheadings in Iraq and Syria, most notably as shown in the beheading videos of American journalists James Foley and Steven Sotloff, and British aid workers David Haines and Alan Henning, in 2014. The group have also guarded more than 20 Western hostages of ISIL in Western Ar-Raqqah, Syria. They are harsher than other ISIL guards, using electric shock Taser guns, mock executions (including a crucifixion), and waterboarding.

The US reported, and ISIL confirmed, that John was killed by a US drone strike in November 2015.

Activities

The Beatles were a group of 4,[1] or possibly 3,[2] British Muslims fighting for the extremist, jihadist Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant. Its members were nicknamed John, Paul, George, and Ringo by the hostages, after the four members of the British rock group the Beatles.[1]

They have taken hostages; have guarded more than 20 Western hostages of ISIL in cramped cells in Western Ar-Raqqah, Syria; have beheaded hostages; and have memorialized their acts in beheading videos that they made public.[3][4][5][6][7][8]

The Beatles spoke to each other in English, and struggled with Arabic.[9] They always kept their faces hidden.[10]

Guarding, torturing, and seeking ransoms for hostages

The Beatles, who have been assigned responsibility to guard foreign hostages by ISIL commanders, are harsher than other ISIL guards.[11][12] One source said: "Whenever the Beatles showed up, there was some kind of physical beating or torture."[13] They are the most feared of the jihadists because of their taste for the macabre and their beatings, use of electric shock Taser guns, mock executions (including a crucifixion of Foley), and waterboarding, according to a freed French hostage.[9][14][15]

Haines, for example, was severely tortured and subjected to electric shock taser punishments by the Beatles, from the time of his March 2014 abduction.[16] The group have also forced hostages to fight each other in boxing matches as the group watched, and then tortured the losers.[17] Because of their excessive brutality, at one point they were removed from their guard duties by ISIL.[9][18]

The Beatles were interested in obtaining ransoms for their hostages.[18] A former hostage reported that the Beatles bragged that they had been paid millions of dollars in ransoms by certain European countries; enough to "retire to Kuwait or Qatar."[19] The group contacted families of some UK hostages, and are believed to be maintaining links to their associates and friends in the UK.[12] James Foley's mother, Diane Foley, said in an interview: "their requests were impossible for us, 100 million Euros, or all Muslim prisoners to be freed. The requests from the terrorists were totally directed towards the government, really. And yet we as an American family had to figure out how to answer them."[20][21]

The Beatles cell held at least 23 foreign hostages, nearly all of whom were ransomed or killed.[8]

2014-2015 beheadings

"Jihadi John" beheaded or participated in the beheadings of American journalists James Foley and Steven Sotloff, as well as British humanitarian aid workers David Haines and Alan Henning, American aid worker Peter Kassig, Japanese private military contractor Haruna Yukawa, Japanese journalist Kenji Goto, and 21 members of the Syrian armed forces in a period from August to January 2015.[11][22][23]

A former ISIS member said that using a British man to carry out the beheadings was likely a deliberate effort by ISIS to "project the image that a European, or a Western person, killed an American so that they can ... appeal to others outside Syria and make them feel that they belong to the same cause."[24]

Hostages

In August 2014, it was claimed that there were more than 20 hostages remaining.[25] Many hostage families have chosen not to reveal their relatives' names in order to avoid drawing attention to them and compromising their safety.[26]

John Cantlie

Main article: John Cantlie

Members

"John"

Main article: Jihadi John

The jihadist known as "John", usually referred to as "Jihadi John", was identified by The Washington Post, in February 2015, as Mohammed Emwazi, and appears in a video as Foley's killer. His identity was known to US and UK intelligence agencies in September 2014, but was not released for reasons of operational security.[27] On 12 November 2015, a United States drone aircraft reportedly conducted an airstrike in Al-Raqqah that targeted Emwazi as he left a building and entered a vehicle.[28] US officials stated he had been killed, but his death had not been confirmed.[29] The US was still analysing the data.[30] The official called it a "flawless" and "clean hit" with no collateral damage and that Emwazi "evaporated".[29] A senior US military official was quoted as saying, "we are 99% sure we got him".[31] In January 2016, the ISIL confirmed his death.[32]

"George"

George, the leader of the Beatles, often spent time repeating sections of the Quran and promoting the ISIL’s extremist views publicly.[9][18][33] George uses the nom-de-guerre of "Abu Muhareb", which means "Fighter" in Arabic.[18][33] It was the view of the hostages that George was not very intelligent.[9] The Daily Telegraph has speculated that George is the West London jihadist Abdel-Majed Abdel Bary who may have travelled to Syria with fellow jihadist Mohammed Emwazi.[34]

In 2016, Alexanda Kotey, a 32 year old convert from west London, was identified as a member of the Beatles by the Washington Post and BuzzFeed News. They were uncertain whether he was George, or whether he was Ringo, although social media evidence pointed towards Ringo.[35][36]

A few months later, another joint investigation by the Post and BuzzFeed identified the last member of the group. El Shafee Elsheikh, a British citizen whose family fled Sudan in the 1990s, was a 27 year old Londoner who had travelled to Syria in 2012. They were still uncertain as to whether Elsheikh or Kotey was George.[37][38]

"Ringo"

Ringo was frequently seen by the hostages.[9] In 2016, Alexanda Kotey, a 32 year old convert from west London, was identified as a member of the Beatles by the Washington Post and BuzzFeed News. They were uncertain whether he was George, or whether he was Ringo, although social media evidence pointed towards Ringo.[35][36]

A few months later, another joint investigation by the Post and BuzzFeed identified the last member of the group. El Shafee Elsheikh, a British citizen whose family fled Sudan in the 1990s, was a 27 year old Londoner who had travelled to Syria in 2012. They were still uncertain as to whether Elsheikh or Kotey was Ringo.[37][38]

"Paul"

Paul appeared in the cells of the hostages less than the other Beatles, and appeared to be a guard only.[9] Aine Lesley Davis, reported to have been one of the British Islamists assigned to guard Western hostages, was arrested in Turkey on 13 November 2015.[39] He was tried in Turkey in 2016 over allegations that he was plotting a terror attack there.[40]

Reactions

The use of "Beatles" as a nickname for the group elicited a response from English musician and former Beatle Ringo Starr, who expressed his disgust at the use of his former band's name in this context, saying: "It’s bullshit. What they are doing out there is against everything The Beatles stood for," and adding that the Beatles had stood for peace and opposed violence.[41][42]

Former British Prime Minister David Cameron said: "British people are sickened that a British citizen could be involved in murdering people – including a fellow British citizen who had gone to Syria to help people – in this way. It is the very opposite of what our peaceful, tolerant country stands for."[43]

Manhunt

The British intelligence and security agencies MI5, MI6, Scotland Yard, and GCHQ are working on tracking down the group, in coordination with the CIA, FBI, and a Joint Terrorism Task Force of the United States.[44]

A significant force of the British Special Air Service was deployed to Northern Iraq in late August 2014, and according to former MI6 chief Richard Barrett will be sent to Syria, tasked with trying to track down the Beatles using a range of high-tech equipment and with potentially freeing other hostages.[33][45][46][47] As of September, British intelligence and security agencies including MI5 and Scotland Yard, aided by GCHQ communication monitoring, were working with the FBI and CIA, and field teams from MI6 and the CIA in Northern Syria, to identify and locate the group.[48] British and US electronic eavesdropping agencies have targeted communications by the group.[12] In October, British Prime Minister Cameron told the heads of MI5, MI6, and GCHQ that the manhunt was their top priority.[44]

See also

References

  1. 1 2 "Two Members of Jihadi John's 'Beatles' Execution Cell Named as Alexe Kotey and Aine Davis". Newsweek. 8 February 2016.
  2. ↑ "British Isis militant in James Foley video 'guards foreign hostages in Syria'". The Guardian. 20 August 2014.
  3. ↑ "French ISIS hostage Nicholas Henin shared cell with every man beheaded". Daily Mail. Retrieved 24 October 2014.
  4. ↑ Peter Bergen (14 September 2014). "The British connection to ISIS beheadings". CNN. Retrieved 18 September 2014.
  5. ↑ "Siria, l'Isis uccide 500 persone a Raqqa". Affaritaliani (in Italian). 25 August 2014. Retrieved 17 September 2014.
  6. ↑ "Offensiva dell'Is in Siria, 500 morti. Londra: vicini a identificare il boia di Foley". La Repubblica (in Italian). 24 August 2014. Retrieved 17 September 2014.
  7. ↑ Lucy Westcott (21 August 2014). "The Search for 'Jihadi John,' Brutal Murderer of American Journalist James Foley". Newsweek. Retrieved 18 September 2014.
  8. 1 2 "James Foley beheading: Hunt on for 'British' jihadist". BBC News. 20 August 2014. Retrieved 15 September 2014.
  9. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 James Harkin; Ian Birrell; Sharon Churcher & Dan Bloom (23 August 2014). "British spies are on verge of identifying 'Jailer John': Ambassador to US reveals 'we are not far away' from unmasking fanatic who murdered James Foley as SAS gets ready to find him". Daily Mail Online. Retrieved 17 September 2014.
  10. ↑ Stéphanie De Silguy (26 August 2014). "L . Jinny est-il devenu "John le jihadiste"?". Libération (in French). Retrieved 17 September 2014.
  11. 1 2 "British ISIS Militants Dubbed 'Beatles' Guarded Syria Hostages". NBC News. 21 August 2014. Retrieved 16 September 2014.
  12. 1 2 3 "FBI claims to have identified Isis militant Jihadi John". Financial Times. Retrieved 28 September 2014.
  13. ↑ "ISIS 'Waterboarded' James Foley: Sources". NBC News. 29 August 2014. Retrieved 17 September 2014.
  14. ↑ Ian Drury (14 September 2014). "Experts study David Haines beheading video on hunt for Jihadi John". Daily Mail. Mail Online. Retrieved 16 September 2014.
  15. ↑ Lakshman Menon (23 August 2014). "UK launches manhunt for Foley's British killer; MI5 and Scotland Yard have joined forces with the FBI to track 'Jailer John,' part of four British terrorists called 'the Beatles'.". The Sunday Guardian. Retrieved 18 September 2014.
  16. ↑ Ian Birrell & James Harkin (6 September 2014). "Doctor called to 'desperately ill' British hostage David Haines held by Jihadi John". Daily Mail Online. Retrieved 17 September 2014.
  17. ↑ Andrew Malone & David Williams (19 September 2014). "Torture hell of Princes' hostage friend: How British journalist held by 'Jihadi John' was waterboarded, electrocuted and Tasered and forced to fight other prisoners to entertain barbaric IS fanatics". Mail Online. Retrieved 20 September 2014.
  18. 1 2 3 4 "British ISIS militants are sadists they tortured us with Tasers say Ex hostages". Daily Bhaskar. Retrieved 17 September 2014.
  19. ↑ "US, UK eye rapper as British-born militant who beheaded journalist James Foley". Fox News. 24 August 2014. Retrieved 18 September 2014.
  20. ↑ Foley, Diane (12 September 2014). "Part 2 of Anderson's interview with Diane Foley". AC360 (Interview). Interview with Anderson Cooper. Retrieved 27 September 2014.
  21. ↑ Foley, Diane (12 September 2014). "Diane Foley: Jim was loved so much". CNN. Retrieved 28 September 2014.
  22. ↑ Ahiza Garcia (5 September 2014). "Ringo: Nicknaming The British ISIS Militants 'The Beatles' Is 'Bullsh*t'". Talking Points Memo. Retrieved 17 September 2014.
  23. ↑ "Alan Henning's family speak of fury at Jihadi John". Daily Mail Online. Retrieved 10 October 2014.
  24. ↑ Colby Itkowitz (5 September 2014). "Ringo Starr displeased British Islamic State torturers called 'The Beatles'". The Washington Post. Retrieved 17 September 2014.
  25. ↑ Chulov, Martin (20 August 2014). "Islamic State militants seize four more foreign hostages in Syria". The Guardian. Retrieved 23 August 2014.
  26. ↑ Julie Pace (3 September 2014). "Obama says beheading videos won't intimidate US". Yahoo! News. AP. Retrieved 3 September 2014. one [hostage] is a 26-year-old woman who was kidnapped while doing humanitarian aid work in Syria, according to a family representative who asked that the hostage not be identified out of fear for her safety.
  27. ↑ "'Jihadi John' identified as Mohammed Emwazi". BBC News. 26 February 2015. Retrieved 26 February 2015.
  28. ↑ "Jihadi John: US air strike 'targets Mohammed Emwazi in Syria'". BBC News. 13 November 2015. Retrieved 13 November 2015.
  29. 1 2 Brian Ross (12 November 2015). "'Jihadi John' Believed Killed in US Drone Strike, US Officials Say". ABC News. Retrieved 13 November 2015.
  30. ↑ "'Jihadi John': high degree of certainty US airstrike killed Mohammed Emwazi, sources say". The Guardian. 13 November 2015.
  31. ↑ "U.S. Airstrike Targets Notorious ISIS Militant 'Jihadi John'". Fox News. 13 November 2015.
  32. ↑ "'Jihadi John' death: Islamic State says Mohammed Emwazi killed". BBC News. 19 January 2016.
  33. 1 2 3 "Forze speciali in Iraq, caccia ai "Beatles"". la Repubblica (in Italian). 25 August 2014. Retrieved 17 September 2014.
  34. ↑ http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/terrorism-in-the-uk/11441376/did-jihadi-john-slip-out-of-the-uk-with-fanatic-rapper-Abdel-Majed-Adbel-Bary.html
  35. 1 2 "Another Islamic State jailer who held Western hostages identified as Londoner". Washington Post. 7 February 2008.
  36. 1 2 "ISIS Accomplice Of "Jihadi John" Named As "Quiet And Humble" Londoner". BuzzFeed News. 8 February 2008.
  37. 1 2 "'That is not the son I raised': How a British citizen became one of the most notorious members of ISIS". Washington Post. 23 May 2016.
  38. 1 2 "My Son The ISIS Executioner". BuzzFeed News. 24 May 2016.
  39. ↑ "Suspected British ally of Mohammed Emwazi being held in Turkey". The Guardian. 13 November 2015.
  40. ↑ "Exclusive: Briton accused of being Jihadi John's accomplice on trial over new IS terror plot". ITV News. 5 July 2016.
  41. ↑ Jennifer Newton (4 September 2014). "Ringo Starr disgusted by ISIS 'Beatles' nickname: 'It's b******t. They're against everything we stood for'". Mail Online. Retrieved 16 September 2014.
  42. ↑ Watts, Matt (4 September 2014). "Ringo Starr takes on IS over Beatles nickname: 'It's bulls**t... We stood for peace and love'". Evening Standard. Retrieved 17 September 2014.
  43. ↑ "UN Security Council passes resolution restricting movement of foreign fighters intent on joining Isis". The Independent. Retrieved 28 September 2014.
  44. 1 2 "David Cameron orders to find ISIS executioner Jihadi John dead or alive". Daily Mail Online. Retrieved 10 October 2014.
  45. ↑ Rebecca Perring (25 August 2014). "Parents of murdered US journalist release final letter he sent from captivity". Express. Retrieved 18 September 2014.
  46. ↑ "Former ISIS hostage identifies Foley executioner". Al Arabiya. 21 August 2014. Retrieved 18 September 2014.
  47. ↑ Rachel Browne (24 August 2014). "Rapper identified as James Foley's executioner: reports". The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 18 September 2014.
  48. ↑ "PM: I'll hunt Jihadi John... even to Syria. Cameron prepared to send in SAS – and won't seek approval of MPs". Mail Online. Retrieved 28 September 2014.
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