U.S. charges 2 Islamic State militants who were part of cell that beheaded Western hostages
WASHINGTON, DC — The U.S. Justice Department has unsealed charges against two Islamic State militants from Britain.
Prosecutors are accusing them of carrying out a gruesome campaign of beheadings, torture and other acts of violence against Western hostages they had captured in Syria, including four Americans.
El Shafee Elsheikh and Alexanda Kotey are two of four men dubbed “the Beatles” by the hostages they held captive because of their British accents.
They were expected to make their first appearance in the afternoon in federal court in Alexandria, Virginia, where a federal grand jury issued an eight-count indictment.
