ISIS ‘Beatle’ Case Goes to the Jury in Virginia

The Albert V. Bryan Federal Courthouse in Alexandria, Virginia, where alleged ISIS 'Beatle' El Shafee Elsheikh is on trial SAUL LOEB AFP/File
The Albert V. Bryan Federal Courthouse in Alexandria, Virginia, where alleged ISIS 'Beatle' El Shafee Elsheikh is on trial SAUL LOEB AFP/File
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ISIS ‘Beatle’ Case Goes to the Jury in Virginia

The Albert V. Bryan Federal Courthouse in Alexandria, Virginia, where alleged ISIS 'Beatle' El Shafee Elsheikh is on trial SAUL LOEB AFP/File
The Albert V. Bryan Federal Courthouse in Alexandria, Virginia, where alleged ISIS 'Beatle' El Shafee Elsheikh is on trial SAUL LOEB AFP/File

A jury began deliberations Wednesday in the trial of El Shafee Elsheikh, a former British national who went to Syria to join ISIS and allegedly became a member of the notorious kidnap-and-murder cell known as the "Beatles."

Wrapping up the government's case, prosecutor Raj Parekh said it had been proven "beyond any shadow of a doubt" that Elsheikh was one of the hostage-takers dubbed the "Beatles" by their captives because of their British accents.

Defense attorney Nina Ginsberg countered that while the 33-year-old Elsheikh may indeed have been an ISIS militant, prosecutors had not proved he actually was a "Beatle."

Elsheikh, who was stripped of his citizenship by Britain, is charged with the murders of American journalists James Foley and Steven Sotloff and relief workers Kayla Mueller and Peter Kassig, AFP reported.

He and the other "Beatles" are suspected of involvement in the kidnapping in Syria of some 20 other journalists and relief workers from Europe, Russia and Japan.

The question of identification hung heavy over Elsheikh's two-week trial in a US District Court in Alexandria, Virginia.

"There is no forensic evidence linking Mr Elsheikh to any of the locations where the hostages were held," Ginsberg said.

She noted that none of the 10 former European and Syrian hostages who testified about their harrowing treatment was asked to identify the defendant in court.

"Mr Elsheikh was not identified in this courtroom by any of the former hostages," Ginsberg said. "What people would probably call the white elephant in this room."

She said the "Beatles" were responsible for "brutal" and "loathsome" acts but insisted Elsheikh was not one of them.

"You may find him guilty of providing material support to a terrorist organization," Ginsberg said, one of the charges Elsheikh is facing.

"But for the other counts you must find that he was a member of the 'Beatles,'" she said. "We submit you can't."

Parekh, the assistant US attorney, said that on the contrary, the government had "proved beyond any shadow of a doubt that Elsheikh is one of the ISIS 'Beatles.'"

"He brazenly told you so himself," Parekh said in a reference to media interviews played for the 12-person jury during which Elsheikh described his interactions with the hostages.

The interviews with Western media outlets were conducted after Elsheikh and another former British national, Alexanda Amon Kotey, were captured by a Kurdish militia in Syria in January 2018.

They were handed over to US forces in Iraq and flown to the United States in 2020 to face charges of hostage-taking, conspiracy to murder US citizens and supporting a terrorist organization.

Kotey pleaded guilty in September 2021 and is facing life in prison.

In the interviews, Elsheikh made admissions about taking email addresses and proof of life questions from the hostages and to even physically beating them.

Ginsberg said Elsheikh was a "broken man" at that time and only did so to avoid being sent to Iraq, where he would have faced a summary trial and execution.

He wanted to be sent to Britain or the United States "where he could get a fair trial," she said.

Foley, Sotloff and Kassig were beheaded by Mohamed Emwazi, known as "Jihadi John," and videos of their deaths were released by ISIS for propaganda purposes.

Mueller was initially held by the "Beatles" but then was turned over to ISISleader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, who reportedly raped her repeatedly.

ISIS announced Mueller's death in February 2015 and said she was killed in a Jordanian airstrike, a claim that was disputed by US authorities.

Baghdadi died during a US special forces raid in 2019. Emwazi was killed by a US drone in Syria in 2015.

In his closing argument, Parekh told the jury the government had proved that Elsheikh, Kotey and Emwazi "grew up together, radicalized together, fought as high-ranking ISIS fighters together and tortured and terrorized hostages together."

"What these horrific crimes left behind is a legacy of brutal killings and shattered families," he said, asking the jury to deliver a verdict of guilty on all counts.



Iran Orders Material from China to Produce 800 Ballistic Missiles

A satellite image shows the smoke rising from the explosion at the Shahid Rajaee port, Bandar Abbas, Iran April 27, 2025. Maxar Technologies/Handout via REUTERS
A satellite image shows the smoke rising from the explosion at the Shahid Rajaee port, Bandar Abbas, Iran April 27, 2025. Maxar Technologies/Handout via REUTERS
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Iran Orders Material from China to Produce 800 Ballistic Missiles

A satellite image shows the smoke rising from the explosion at the Shahid Rajaee port, Bandar Abbas, Iran April 27, 2025. Maxar Technologies/Handout via REUTERS
A satellite image shows the smoke rising from the explosion at the Shahid Rajaee port, Bandar Abbas, Iran April 27, 2025. Maxar Technologies/Handout via REUTERS

Iran has ordered thousands of tons of ballistic-missile ingredients from China, people familiar with the transaction told The Wall Street Journal, seeking to rebuild its military prowess as it discusses the future of its nuclear program with the US.

The report, which cited people familiar with the transaction, said Tehran had ordered enough ammonium perchlorate to potentially manufacture up to 800 missiles. It said the material is used to produce solid-fuel missiles.

“Shipments of ammonium perchlorate are expected to reach Iran in coming months and could fuel hundreds of ballistic missiles,” the people said. Some of the material would likely be sent to militias in the region aligned with Iran, including Houthis in Yemen.

According to the Journal, Iran’s drive to expand its missile stockpile and strengthen its regional proxies comes as it continues to enrich uranium to levels just below weapons grade and has refused to place limits on its missile development as part of nuclear negotiations.

President Donald Trump said he discussed the issue during a phone call with Russian President Vladimir Putin

“Time is running out on Iran's decision pertaining to nuclear weapons,” Trump wrote Wednesday in a social-media post.

Part of rebuilding Iran’s 'Axis of Resistance'

The shipment of ammonium perchlorate is part of Iran’s broader efforts to rebuild its so-called "Axis of Resistance" network.

The ammonium perchlorate was ordered by an Iranian entity called Pishgaman Tejarat Rafi Novin Co. from the Hong Kong-based Lion Commodities Holdings Ltd, the Journal reported.

China’s Foreign Ministry told the Journal that Beijing was unaware of a contract for such a shipment.

“The Chinese side has always exercised strict control over dual-use items in accordance with China’s export control laws and regulations and its international obligations,” said the spokesperson.

Iran has been looking for ways to rebuild its network of regional proxies, the so-called Axis of Resistance, after Israel struck Hezbollah in Lebanon, Hamas in Gaza, and the Assad regime in Syria.

While US and Israeli strikes have damaged the Houthis' capabilities in Yemen, they continue to periodically launch missiles at Israel.

The Journal said that beyond supporting regional militias, Iran has also reportedly transferred ballistic missiles to Shiite militia groups in Iraq, which have previously targeted both US and Israeli forces in the region.

Earlier this year, Iranian ships docked in China to load over 1,000 tons of sodium perchlorate, a precursor for ammonium perchlorate.

The material was delivered to Iranian ports in mid-February and late March, according to shipping trackers. This quantity of sodium perchlorate is said to be enough to fuel around 260 short-range missiles.

The new order for ammonium perchlorate, which was placed months before President Trump’s proposed nuclear talks with Iran’s Supreme Leader, Ali Khamenei, in early March, could supply Iran with enough material to produce approximately 800 missiles, one official estimated.

In response to Iran’s missile activities, the US Treasury Department sanctioned six individuals and six entities from both Iran and China on April 29 for their involvement in procuring ballistic missile propellant ingredients.

Two weeks later, the Treasury expanded these sanctions to include additional Chinese and Hong Kong entities. It added sodium perchlorate to its list of materials linked to Iran’s military, nuclear, and missile activities.

A State Department official said, “Chinese entities and individuals have provided support to Iran’s ballistic missile program, as well as to the Houthis’ missile and UAV production efforts, which is why we continue to identify and sanction them.”

Possible Threats

Fabian Hinz, a military expert at the International Institute for Strategic Studies, said “Iran likely needs material from abroad to avoid bottlenecks in its domestic production capabilities.”

However, storing such materials poses significant risks.

In April, a deadly explosion at Shahid Rajaee port, Iran’s key container hub, killed dozens. State media attributed the blast to the mishandling of explosive materials by a unit of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps’ Quds Force.

An official confirmed that some of the previously imported sodium perchlorate was destroyed in the incident.

“These substances are a major fire and explosive hazard,” Hinz warned. “Iran’s defense industrial complex does not have a strong track record in ensuring safety standards.”