A U.S. federal judge on Friday sentenced a member of an Islamic State cell known as "The Beatles" to life in prison for involvement in a hostage-taking plot that led to the killings of American journalists and aid workers in Syria.
Families and friends of the four Americans killed and of other hostages previously detained by the militant group looked on as District Court Judge T.S. Ellis sentenced El Shafee Elsheikh, 34, to life without parole, calling his behavior "horrific, barbaric, brutal and of course criminal."
