{"id":19750,"date":"2021-09-03T08:03:52","date_gmt":"2021-09-03T12:03:52","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/worldjusticenews.com\/news\/?p=19750"},"modified":"2021-09-03T08:03:52","modified_gmt":"2021-09-03T12:03:52","slug":"islamic-state-beatle-alexanda-kotey-pleads-guilty-over-us-hostage-deaths","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/worldjusticenews.com\/news\/2021\/09\/03\/islamic-state-beatle-alexanda-kotey-pleads-guilty-over-us-hostage-deaths\/","title":{"rendered":"Islamic State ‘Beatle’ Alexanda Kotey pleads guilty over US hostage deaths"},"content":{"rendered":"
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An Islamic State (IS) group suspect from the UK has pleaded guilty in a US court to multiple charges relating to the murder of four American hostages.<\/b><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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Alexanda Kotey is accused of belonging to an IS cell dubbed “The Beatles” which was involved in kidnappings in Iraq and Syria.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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The IS cell was allegedly responsible for the beheadings of a number of Western and Japanese hostages.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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Kotey, 37, pleaded guilty to all eight charges and now faces life in prison.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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He attended a change of plea hearing at a federal court in Alexandria, Virginia on Thursday, where he pleaded guilty to charges including hostage taking resulting in death and conspiracy to murder US citizens.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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“Kotey has been afforded due process and in the face of overwhelming evidence, he made the independent decision to plead guilty to his crimes,” lawyer Raj Parekh, a member of the prosecuting team, told reporters outside the court.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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“He has agreed to spend the rest of his life in prison,” he added.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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