Explained: Who is Islamic State ‘Beatle’ Alexanda Kotey? Has he disappeared from a US prison?

An Islamic State fighter has seemingly disappeared from the US prison system. Alexanda Kotey, a member of an Islamic State group cell nicknamed “The Beatles” nicknamed for their accents and known for their cruelty, was sentenced to life in prison in August for his role in the beheading deaths of American hostages. But according to several media reports, Kotey is no longer listed as in custody. But who is Kotey? And what happened to him? Let’s take a closer look: Who is Kotey? Hailing from west London, Kotey is of Ghanaian and Greek Cypriot descent, as per BBC. Kotey, part of a four-member jihadist cell dubbed the “Beatles” by their captives due to their British accents, was allegedly involved in the abductions of at least 27 people in Syria from 2012 to 2015. Kotey had attended the al-Manaar mosque with fellow ‘Beatle’ Mohammed Emwazi, as per BBC. Kotey has since been stripped of his British citizenship. The “Beatles” allegedly tortured and killed their victims, including by beheading, and IS released videos of the murders for propaganda purposes. Their appearance, always in masks, invoked dread among the hostages for the sadism they displayed. They also routinely beat and tortured the hostages, forcing them to fight each other to the point of passing out, threatening them with waterboarding and forcing them view images of slain hostages. The hostages, some of whom were released after their governments paid ransoms, were from at least 15 countries, including the United States, Denmark, France, Japan, Norway and Spain. Emwazi, nicknamed ‘Jihadi John’ was killed in a 2015 drone strike in Syria. Kotey and another ‘Beatle’ El Shafee Elsheikh, were captured by US-backed Kurdish forces in 2018. While some reports have Kotey nicknamed as “Ringo” by the hostages, and Elsheikh “George”, this remains unclear. The fourth ‘Beatle’, Aine Davis, is serving a prison sentence in Turkey. Kotey in September 2021 pleaded guilty to all eight counts against him at a plea hearing in US District Court in Alexandria. He admitted guilt in connection with the deaths of four American hostages — journalist James Foley, journalist Steven Sotloff and aid workers Peter Kassig and Kayla Mueller — as well as European and Japanese nationals who also were held captive. Kotey in April was sentenced to life in prison. However, under the plea deal, Kotey is eligible to be transferred to the United Kingdom to face any possible charges there after 15 years. Kotey at his trial gave a somewhat detailed account of his time in Islamic State. He said he travelled to Syria to “engage in a military fight against the Syrian forces of Bashar Assad” and that he eventually pledged allegiance to Islamic State leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi. “I accept I will be perceived as a radical who holds extremist views,” he said. He acknowledged that he had participated in “capture-and-detain operations” to kidnap Foley and other Western hostages and that he led efforts to extract ransoms. He described the acts of violence that were inflicted on the hostages as a necessary part of keeping them in line and persuading Western governments to pay ransom. In the years after the hostages had been killed, he said he filled multiple roles within the Islamic State, including as a sniper and as director of a special forces training camp. Kotey did not speak or show any emotion as Judge TS Ellis handed down the sentence, but his lawyers said that he was remorseful and had agreed to meet the families of his victims. Where is Kotey? That’s the question. As per Daily Mail, Kotey was after his conviction transferred to the Canaan prison in Pennsylvania. The Independent reported that Kotey, on the Federal Bureau of Prisons (BOP) website, is now listed not in custody. His release date is “unknown”.

The daughter of one of Kotey’s victims has now cried foul.

Bethany Haines, whose father David was beheaded by the terror cell while working as an aid worker in Syria, told Daily Record, “I don’t think it is right that he can just disappear from the system and the families whose lives were devastated by his actions are left to wonder where he is.” She speculated that Kotey is most likely “assisting authorities” in another case. “In the past he has been traceable, as we have access to data via the US victim notification scheme, and we at least had the reassurance that he was in a high-security facility,” Haines added. “I don’t want to think that he has managed to negotiate his way into any kind of easy treatment on the basis of him assisting authorities or anything else.” A Canaan prison spokesperson confirmed to the Daily Mail that Kotey is no longer listed as in bureau custody but declined to explain why. The official said an inmate may not be listed in the system for ‘several reasons’. “Inmates who were previously in BOP custody and who have not completed their sentence may be outside BOP custody for a period of time for court hearings, medical treatment, or for other reasons,” the spokesperson told the newspaper. The spokesperson added that such details are not given out considering “safety, security or privacy reasons.” With inputs from agencies Read all the  Latest News ,  Trending News ,  Cricket News ,  Bollywood News ,  India News  and  Entertainment News  here. Follow us on  Facebook,  Twitter and  Instagram.