- Singapore ex-minister pleads guilty in rare graft trial
- Fishy business caught by fraying India-Bangladesh ties
- US Open champion Sabalenka chases year-end number one ranking
- New Zealand scientists discover ghostly 'spookfish'
- Trump slams early voting, even while urging Pennsylvanians to do so
- Singapore ex-minister pleads guilty to bribery in rare graft trial
- Major Hurricane John hits Mexico's Pacific coast
- IMF says ready for talks with Sri Lanka's new leftist government
- Phillies clinch division title, eye top seed
- Bills trample Jaguars, Commanders claw Bengals
- China unveils fresh stimulus to boost ailing economy
- Hong Kong, Shanghai rally on China stimulus on mixed day for markets
- Back to death row? Retrial verdict due in Japan murder saga
- Rare corruption trial of Singapore ex-minister begins
- Ghana a long way off from gender equality despite new law
- China unveils fresh stimulus to boost economy
- Hamas weakened, not crushed a year into war with Israel
- Israeli economy struggles under weight of Gaza war
- Israelis united in trauma, divided by war after October 7
- New York Liberty riding WNBA boom into playoffs
- Union says new Boeing pay offer 'missed the mark'
- Environmental groups urge EU 'high risk' label for Sarawak
- Argentina seeks Maduro's arrest for crimes against humanity
- Morales issues Bolivian president 24-hour ultimatum to shake up cabinet
- Armenia and Azerbaijan see progress, but peace treaty seems distant
- World leaders gather at UN as Mideast tensions explode
- Biden's UN goodbye aims to 'Trump-proof' legacy
- Singapore ex-minister set for high-profile corruption trial
- Man Utd, Spurs eye respite from domestic woes in Europa League
- Guatemala picks Supreme Court judges with focus on anti-graft fight
- Jill Biden announces $500 million for women's health research
- Injured All Blacks centre Jordie Barrett out of Australia Test
- 'Lead the future': youth challenge world leaders at UN
- Goosebumps and stars as Paris Fashion Week kicks off
- Boeing boosts pay offer in effort to end strike
- Global markets inch higher on hopes of further rate cuts
- Amazon forest loses area the size of Germany and France, fueling fires
- 'Curious' Dupont eyes position change after claiming Top 14 award
- Man Utd stadium regeneration could add £7.3bn to British economy
- At COP16, Colombia seeks to lead by example on biodiversity
- Dupont caps off Olympic gold season with Top 14 player award
- Leeds to expand Elland Road to 53,000 capacity
- Mysterious 18th century diamond necklace set for auction
- World's oceans near critical acidification level: report
- California sues oil giant Exxon over plastic recycling 'myth'
- As wars rage, UN's critics say global body is failing its mission
- Amazon forest has lost an area the size of Germany and France
- Nadal, Alcaraz and Sinner in Davis Cup finals teams
- Telegram's Durov announces new crackdown on illegal content
- African players in Europe: Ice-cool Jackson strikes twice
El Shafee Elsheikh, from London to Syria to IS 'Beatle'
El Shafee Elsheikh, convicted on all charges in the deaths of four American hostages, went to Syria a decade ago with two childhood friends from London to wage jihad against the regime of President Bashar al-Assad.
Elsheikh, Alexanda Amon Kotey and Mohamed Emwazi ended up joining the Islamic State and forming a notorious kidnap-and-murder cell known as the "Beatles."
"They grew up together, radicalized together, fought as high-ranking IS fighters together and tortured and terrorized hostages together," prosecutor Raj Parekh said in his closing arguments at Elsheikh's trial.
Elsheikh was born in Sudan in 1988 but moved to Britain as a child. His father left the family when he was seven years old, according to the non-profit Counter Extremism Project (CEP).
Elsheikh studied mechanical engineering at Acton College in London, according to CEP, and was stabbed in a fight with a gang member when he was 19.
He married an Ethiopian woman in Canada when he was 21, but was not allowed to bring her to Britain, allegedly deepening his anger at the British government.
Elsheikh became increasingly radicalized and took part in a "Muslims Against Crusades" demonstration outside the US Embassy in London on September 11, 2011, according to the US indictment.
He traveled to Syria in 2012 to "wage violent jihad on behalf of radical Islamic groups," first joining an Al-Qaeda affiliate there and then IS, US prosecutors said.
Between 2012 and 2015, Elsheikh and the other "Beatles" seized more than two dozen American, European, Japanese and Russian hostages -- mostly journalists and relief workers.
Ten former European and Syrian hostages testified at Elsheikh's trial accusing the "Beatles" of months of brutal treatment including beatings, electric shocks, waterboarding and mock executions.
- 'Terrifying' -
A French journalist said that he and other hostages were forced by their captors to sing a depraved parody of the Eagles song "Hotel California" called "Hotel Osama."
"It was terrifying for us, a joke for them," Nicolas Henin told the jury.
"George was into boxing. John kicked a lot. Ringo talked a lot about how he liked wrestling, putting people in headlocks," said Federico Motka, an Italian relief worker using the nicknames the hostages gave to their captors.
Prosecutors said Elsheikh was the "Beatle" the hostages called "Ringo."
Elsheikh's defense attorneys argued that the government had failed to prove he was one of the "Beatles" but the 12-person jury disagreed, convicting him of all charges.
Elsheikh, who was dressed in beige or yellow pants with light and dark blue shirts for his trial, declined the opportunity to testify in court but it was his own words that helped convict him.
Prosecutors repeatedly played excerpts for the jury of interviews Elsheikh gave to media outlets after his capture by Kurdish forces in Syria in January 2018.
He acknowledged interacting with some of the hostages but said he only collected information about them such as email addresses so the captors could be in touch with their families to discuss ransoms.
Elsheikh, who Britain stripped of his nationality, denied ever torturing captives but acknowledged he did not always show them "compassion."
Elsheikh was convicted of hostage-taking, conspiracy to murder US citizens -- journalists James Foley and Steven Sotloff and relief workers Peter Kassig and Kayla Mueller -- and supporting a foreign terrorist organization.
Kotey, 38, pleaded guilty in September 2021 to similar charges and is facing life in prison.
Emwazi, the IS executioner known as "Jihadi John" who beheaded Foley, Sotloff and Kassig, was killed by a US drone in Syria in November 2015.
J.Horn--BTB