Aine Davis, the man alleged to be the fourth Islamic State "Beatle" was deported from Turkey, then arrested Wednesday in the United Kingdom as soon as he landed. "A 38-year-old man has been charged with various terrorism offenses following an investigation by the Met's counterterrorism command," a Metropolitan Police spokesperson said in a statement, identifying that man as Davis, per the Guardian. "He was taken to a South London police station and subsequently charged" with terror offenses dating back to 2014, as well as possession of a firearm tied to terror offenses.
Sky News notes that Davis also goes by the name Aine Leslie Rodrigues. The Independent reports he appeared later Thursday at a magistrates' court in Westminster, where he didn't enter a plea. It was heard in court that Davis allegedly recruited a woman to smuggle him more than $20,000 in cash in her underwear on a flight from London to Istanbul, with the cash said to be bookmarked for terror purposes. Davis is alleged to be the fourth member of the ISIS terror group dubbed "The Beatles," so called due to their British accents. The group is believed to have been involved in the abduction and/or execution of more than 20 Westerners, including US journalists James Foley and Steven Sotloff and American aid worker Kayla Mueller.
The leader of the group, Mohammed Emwazi (aka "Jihadi John), was killed in a 2015 drone strike in Syria. Alexanda Kotey, or "George," was captured in Syria in 2018 and handed off to the US. He was sentenced to life in prison earlier this year, per the BBC. Meanwhile, El Shafee "Ringo" Elsheikh was also captured in Syria in 2018, extradited to the US, and convicted earlier this year. His sentencing is set for this month. The Independent notes that Davis, the supposed "Paul" of the group, has denied being a part of it. Davis will next appear in court at the Old Bailey on Sept. 2. (Read more Islamic State stories.)