UK arrests British ISIS 'Beatles' cell member
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The British authorities arrest Aine Davis, a member of the British ISIS "Beatles" cell.
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ISIS "Beatles" member Aine Davis
The British authorities on Wednesday arrested a British man accused of being part of the ISIS kidnap-and-murder cell known as the "Beatles" on his way back to the United Kingdom, British media reported.
Davis was arrested after landing at Luton airport on a flight from Turkey, where he had been serving a seven-and-a-half-year-long prison sentence over charges of terrorism, local media have said.
The now-incarcerated man was allegedly a member of the "Beatles" cell of the ISIS terrorist organization, which held dozens of foreign hostages in Syria between 2012 and 2015. The cell was known as the "Beatles" due to their British accents and the cell having four members.
The Metropolitan Police, the faction responsible for spearheading anti-terror investigations in the United Kingdom, said in a statement that officers had arrested a man at Luton airport, not revealing his name initially since the London force does not name suspects until they are charged with a crime.
The 38-year-old was arrested under several sections of British anti-terrorism laws before being taken to a south London police station "where he currently remains in police custody."
The interior ministry said in a statement that a British national had been deported from Turkey to the United Kingdom.
The "Beatles" terrorist cell is accused of being involved in kidnapping at least 27 journalists and relief workers from the United States, the United Kingdom, Europe, New Zealand, Russia, and Japan, as well as murdering American journalists James Foley and Steven Sotloff and aid worker Peter Kassing and Kayla Mueller.
The four-man cell allegedly tortured and killed the four American victims, including by beheading. ISIS later released the videos of the murders so they could serve as tools of propaganda for the terrorist group.
Davis is the fourth and last member of the terrorist cell to have been free, with all of its members either in custody or reportedly killed.
Alexanda Kotey, 38, is a former British national extradited from the UK to the US in 2020, pleaded guilty to his role in the deaths. He was sentenced to life in prison in April.
El Shafee Elsheikh, 34, another former British national also extradited to the US at the same time, was found guilty of all charges in April. He will be sentenced next week.
The last member, Mohamed Emwazi, was reportedly killed by a US drone in Syria in 2015.
