Alleged ISIS 'Beatle' Sentenced in UK

Aine Davis was arrested at a UK airport after he finished a 7-year sentence in Turkey
By Jenn Gidman,  Newser Staff
Posted Aug 11, 2022 7:31 AM CDT
Updated Nov 13, 2023 1:24 PM CST
Man Said to Be 4th ISIS 'Beatle' Arrested at UK Airport
This court artist sketch by Elizabeth Cook shows Aine Leslie Davis, 38, appearing in the dock at Westminster Magistrates' Court, central London, Thursday, Aug. 11, 2022.   (Elizabeth Cook/PA via AP)
UPDATE Nov 13, 2023 1:24 PM CST

A man suspected of being the fourth member of the ISIS "Beatles" kidnap gang has been sentenced to eight years in prison in the UK for terror-related offenses. Aine Davis, 39, spent seven years in prison in Turkey for being a member of the extremist group and was arrested after he was deported to the UK last year. He pleaded guilty last year possessing a weapon for terrorist purposes and two charges linked to fundraising for terrorist purposes, the BBC reports. Davis spent two years with ISIS in Syria and while legal documents state that he is a suspected "Beatles" member, the allegations were not included in the charges against him, the Times of London reports. American authorities described him as a "co-conspirator" but they decided against trying to extradite him from Turkey, where he was arrested in 2015.

Aug 11, 2022 7:31 AM CDT

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.

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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. (More Islamic State stories.)

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