Two British Militants, believed to be part of an ISIS terrorist group—referred to as “the Beatles”—that beheaded hostages, have been taken out of a detention center in Syria and are now in U.S. custody, officials say.
President Donald Trump announced Wednesday that the ISIS prisoners were moved out over concerns they could escape as Turkey invades northeast Syria.
The prisoners, El Shafee Elsheikh and Alexanda Amon Kotey, along with other British jihadis, are said to have made up an ISIS cell nicknamed “The Beatles” by surviving captives on account of their English accents.
According to the Daily Caller, the Justice Department’s plans to bring the two men to trial in Virginia has been delayed due to a lawsuit filed by Elskeih’s mother regarding whether the British government can share evidence with the United States.
In 2014 and 2015, the terrorist group kidnapped over 20 western hostages, many of whom they tortured during captivity. It also beheaded seven journalists, aid workers, and a group of Syrian soldiers.
So far, the two men are the only ISIS militants that have been removed from Syria by the United States, but officials say a number of others could also be moved if needed.
Turkey is attacking the U.S.-backed Syrian Defense Forces, a Kurdish force that battled the ISIS group alongside American troops and now is responsible for guarding thousands of detained militants.
Guarding prisoners, however, is now expected to be less of a priority for the Kurdish force as they rush to defend their territory against the Turkish invasion.
Trump told reporters that some of the “most dangerous” had been moved, but further details were not disclosed.
It was also mentioned that while only two prisoners have been relocated so far, there are no immediate concerns that the Kurdish forces will completely abandon the facilities currently housing thousands of others.
“We’re putting them in different locations where it’s secure,” said Trump.
Among the journalists they killed was American James Foley, who was first, followed by fellow Americans Steven Sotloff and Peter Kassig, British aid workers David Haines and Alan Henning, and Japanese journalists Haruna Yukawa and Kenji Goto.
According to the NY Times, another member of the terrorist group, Mohammed Emwazi—who died during a drone strike in 2015—is likely responsible for the death of Foley.
The beheadings, often recorded on camera, horrified the world soon after ISIS took over much of Iraq and Syria in 2014.
There are approximately 2,500 ISIS terrorists currently being detained in Syria, with about 10,000 fighters from Syria and Iraq.
Trump and other U.S. officials have repeatedly pressed other nations across Europe and the Middle East to take back the detainees from their countries. But international leaders have been largely reluctant and have been slow to take any back.
“They should go back, by the way, they should go back to Europe. Many of them came from Europe. And they should go back to Germany and France,” Trump said Wednesday.
“Nobody wants them but they’re bad and somebody has to watch over ’em,” he added.
AP contributed to this report.
