They were the public face of the most notorious terrorist organisation in modern history: four British citizens who left their homes to join Isis in Syria, where they were accused of kidnapping, torturing and ultimately murdering western hostages, all the while broadcasting their crimes to the world. “The Beatles”, as they were known, came to symbolise the group’s extreme brutality.
Now, for the first time, a member of the group is set to stand trial in a US courtroom. El Shafee Elsheikh, 33, will face a jury at a federal court in Alexandria, Virginia on charges of hostage-taking and conspiracy to murder.
