UK-Born ISIL Fighter Admits Killing US Hostages

A member of the ISIL (ISIS) team in Syria, born in the UK and accused of beheading American hostages, has admitted to eight US criminal charges, with lethal hostage-taking and conspiracy to support “terrorists” inclusive.

EkohotBlog reports that Alexanda Kotey, born in London, is among the two ISIL members who were arrested in Iraq by the US military before being flown to the US to face trial on “terrorism” charges.

Kotey pleaded guilty to the murders of the following journalists James Foley and Steven Sotloff and aid workers Kayla Mueller and Peter Kassig when he appeared before US District Judge TS Ellis on Thursday in Alexandria, Virginia,.

According to observers, the charges may carry possible death sentences, but US authorities have advised British officials that American prosecutors will not seek the death penalty against Kotey.

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In a statement by Justice Department, it mentioned that given that Kotey agreed to life imprisonment without parole, if the sentence he serves in the UK is less than life for any reason, Kotey agreed “to be transferred back to the United States to serve the remainder of his sentence”.

The British government had withdrawn Kotey’s citizenship since 2018.

Kotey, among others, was suspected of taking part in graphic ISIL videos posted online, showing beheadings of foreign hostages.

A document of 24 pages with evidence of indictment included a lengthy list of acts of torture that Kotey has been accused of; crimes such as inflicting injuries on hostages, including electric shocks with a Taser, forcing hostages to fight each other and beatings with sticks and waterboarding.