Prosecution: Briton was 1 of 3 ‘Beatles’ hostage- takers

By MATTHEW BARAKAT
Associated Press

ALEXANDRIA, Va. (AP) — Prosecutors in a British man’s terrorism trial say the only thing jurors need to know to convict him is that he was one of three Islamic State hostage-takers known as “The Beatles.” During closing arguments Wednesday, First Assistant U.S. Attorney Raj Parekh reiterated the allegation that El Shafee Elsheikh was one of the “Beatles,” a nickname given to the captors by some of their hostages because of their distinct British accents. Two dozen Westerners were captured in Iraq and Syria between 2012 and 2015. Four American hostages were killed in captivity. Prosecutors said jurors can convict Elsheikh if he was one of the Beatles, even if witnesses couldn’t identify him individually.