El Shafee Elsheikh is accused of being one of the notorious IS ‘Beatles’ who tortured and murdered hostages
(Picture: ITV News)An aid worker held by the Islamic State “Beatles” says he and fellow prisoners were forced to take part in “Royal Rumble” fights during 14 months in captivity.
Federico Motka, who was among more than 20 Western hostages captured by the terrorist group between 2012 and 2015, told a court they were waterboarded and electrocuted by guards who treated them like dogs.
London-born El Shafee Elsheikh, 33, is accused of being one of the notorious IS captors nicknamed “The Beatles”, and is now on trial in the US for a series of murders as well as a gruesome campaign of torture and abuse.
Italian-born Mr Motka, who was educated at public school in Bath and the London School of Economics, told the court in Virginia how he, cellmate David Haines, and fellow hostages James Foley and John Cantlie were forced into gruelling “Royal Rumble” fights.
“They were super excited about it," he said of his captors who initiated the tag-team style fights.
Mr Motka added that prisoners were told the losers would be waterboarded.
“We were so weak and shattered we could barely lift our arms."
Mr Motka said two of them passed out during the hour-long battle and he endured a beating after ending up on the losing side.
Mr Haines, 44, a former RAF worker from Perth, Scotland, and US journalist James Foley, 40, were among the hostages who were brutally murdered on camera by Mohammed Emwazi – dubbed Jihadi John – in execution videos that were posted online.
Elsheikh was allegedly the captor nicknamed “Ringo” and is accused of taking pleasure in administering beatings to hostages, while his friend Alexanda Kotey, also from London, has admitted his part in the “Beatles” regime.
Mr Motka told the court the prisoners were relieved when they were transferred to different IS facilities away from the Beatles, who he identified as “John”, “George”, and “Ringo”.
"They played lots of games with us," he said, describing a particularly brutal stretch in a prison nicknamed “The Box”.
"They gave us dog names. We needed to come and immediately respond."
He said: “George was more into boxing - John, he kicked a lot. Ringo used to talk how he liked wrestling. He would put people in headlocks."
Mr Motka said he was particularly targeted due to his accent, and was dubbed a “posh w***** because I went to boarding school”.
“They said I was arrogant and told me: ‘We’ll bring you down’.”
Mr Motka was eventually released on May 25, 2014, after a ransom was paid to end his 14-months in captivity within the IS-held regions of Iraq and Syria.
Elsheikh, originally from Shepherd’s Bush but now stripped of British citizenship, says he has been misidentified as one of the Beatles, and insists he had a lesser role within the IS regime.
He denies involvement in the executions of Mr Foley, US journalist Steven Sotloff, and aid worker Peter Kassig, as well as the killing of Kayla Mueller after she had been held as a “sex slave” for IS leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi.
The trial continues.
