Beatles’ victim James Foley’s mother confronts ‘evil’ Alexanda Kotey

View
comments

The mother of a victim of a British terrorist who was part of an Islamic State cell nicknamed ‘the Beatles‘ called on the killer today to tell the authorities where the remains of her son are located.

Diane Foley, the mother of James Foley, 40, who was the first of four American hostages to be killed, was in a US federal court yesterday to see Alexanda Amon Kotey plead guilty to multiple charges.

Kotey, 37, who grew up in London, conspired to abduct and behead Western hostages for ISIS and was one of the gang of militants nicknamed ‘the Beatles’ by their captives due to their British accents.

The cell – said to be made up of ringleader Mohammed Emwazi, known as Jihadi John, Aine Davis, El Shafee Elsheikh and Kotey – was allegedly responsible for the brutal killings of a Western and Japanese captives.

Kotey pleaded guilty to eight counts including conspiring to murder four American hostages – journalists Mr Foley and Steven Sotloff and aid workers Peter Kassig and Kayla Mueller – and providing material support to ISIS.

Ms Foley was among the family members of the American victims who were in court in Alexandria, Virginia, to hear details of the charges and watch Kotey plead guilty. He now faces spending the rest of his life behind bars.

Asked if there was a way in which he could make amends, Ms Foley told BBC Radio 4 Today’s programme this morning: ‘I don’t know, that’s up to him. I didn’t get any indication that he was interested in that.

‘But I would hope that in time that he might just because of the extent of the evil that he has committed. I don’t know any soul that could live with that, but that’s just my opinion.

‘All of us would like to know where the remains of our children are. Also I would very much like to know if other people are still living who also were involved. 

‘These are two people who were quite involved with the hostage taking and torture of our son Jim and Peter (Kassig), Kayla (Mueller) and Steven (Sotloff). However I think there may well be others who might still be living.

‘I hope he might have some answers for the poor Mueller family to find out about their daughter Kayla, and for John Cantlie, I would just hope part of this bargain is that Kotey would be forthcoming in talking to our government, your government and any of us who want to speak to him.’

Talking about what it was like to be in court, Ms Foley added: ‘It was rather chilling to be there, because it was the first time we’ve ever seen him in person.

‘ Just the fact that he was pleading guilty to all eight counts was quite amazing really, and it really brings me to want to thank your Scotland Yard and our FBI and our Department of Justice for putting together such a strong case that he would feel it necessary to plead guilty today.

‘So we are grateful for the work of all the good people, and of course the Syrian Democratic Forces who actually arrested Kotey and Elsheikh.

‘So we’re very grateful for the work of all the good people on both sides of the Atlantic in this regard.’

Asked if Kotey looked at her in court, Ms Foley said: ‘Briefly, briefly. He knew we were present. We were introduced and he knew we were there.

‘It was pretty matter of fact from his point of view. He had obviously made up his mind this was his best chance of getting home to the United Kingdom at some point.

‘He just felt it was what he needed to do. So I’m glad that he did in fact plead guilty, and it is my hope that he will spend the rest of his life behind bars without ever having parole.

‘I almost think, to be honest, a quick martyrdom is too easy a way out of what he has committed. I was always against the death penalty.

‘But I do feel accountability is essential to anyone who kidnaps or unjustly detains our citizens, otherwise our countries can never hope to deter this horror of hostage taking. This step in accountability was essential.’ 

And asked about the effect on her of an ISIS affiliate becoming resurgent in Afghanistan, Ms Foley said: ‘Very sobering, so sobering, to think that the horror of this terrorism is continuing.

‘It certainly hasn’t stopped, and I fear there is a potential for much more hostage taking. They love to use the horror of that to frighten us, manipulate other governments and raise funds for their evil works. So I’m very sobered by that, very sad.’ 

The slayings by ‘The Beatles’ – who were responsibile the killings of Britons Alan Henning and David Haines – sparked outrage and revulsion around the world after being broadcast in graphic detail.

Kotey attended a two-hour change of plea hearing in Alexandria yesterday and pleaded guilty to eight charges.

They were four counts of hostage taking resulting in death, conspiracy to commit hostage taking resulting in death, conspiracy to murder United States citizens outside of the United States, conspiracy to provide material support to terrorists – hostage taking and murder – resulting in death and conspiracy to provide material support to a designated foreign terrorist organisation resulting in death.

Kotey has agreed to fully co-operate with authorities as part of his plea agreement, the court was told.

Kotey addressed the court to outline his involvement in the atrocities. He was repeatedly interrupted by District Judge TS Ellis who told him his statement was more suitable for the sentencing hearing.

In a prepared summary, he said he left the UK for Syria in August 2012 alongside Emwazi.

He said he left in order to ‘engage in the military fight against the Syrian army forces of president Bashar Assad’.

Kotey said when he departed the UK he held ‘the belief and understanding that the Islamic concept of armed jihad was a valid and legitimate cause and means by which a Muslim defends his fellow Muslim against injustice’.

He admitted his role in capturing hostages and said when his involvement in that came to an end, he worked in IS’s recruitment division, as a sniper and in the terror group’s ‘English media department’.

Kotey said while working for IS he came into contact with Mr Henning, Mr Haines and John Cantlie, a British war correspondent who disappeared in 2012 and who remains missing.

He told the court: ‘Upon the orders of the Islamic State senior leadership, I, along with others, opened up channels of negotiation with the authorities, families and representatives of those captured and held by the Islamic State.

‘This involved me visiting the detention facilities where the foreign captives were being held and interacting with them in every capacity that would further the prospects of our negotiation demands being met.’ 

Kotey said his job would be to ‘extract’ contact details for loved ones of those taken hostage.

The terrorists would then demand the release of Islamic prisoners held by the West or large sums of money in return for the hostages’ freedom.

Kotey said: ‘I had no doubt that any failure of those foreign governments to comply with our demands would ultimately result in the indefinite detention of those foreign captives or their executions. ‘

He said he was not physically present at any of the killings of the Western captives.

Kotey was captured alongside Elsheikh in Syria in 2018 by the US-supported Syrian Democratic Forces while trying to escape to Turkey.

Details of Kotey’s plea agreement were read out in court, revealing the Briton has agreed to fully co-operate with the US government.

He will provide ‘full, complete and truthful’ evidence to not only the US but all foreign governments.

Kotey will provide all relevant documents, meet with victims’ families if they wish to do so and voluntarily submit to a lie detector test.

However, the terrorist will not be compelled to give evidence in court against co-defendant Elsheikh, the hearing was told.

As part of the plea agreement, Kotey could be transferred to the UK after spending 15 years behind bars in the US in order to face justice in the country of his birth.

The court was told Kotey would plead guilty in the UK and would likely be handed a life sentence for the deaths of hostages including Mr Henning and Mr Haines.

However, if he is not given a life term, Kotey will complete his life sentence handed down in the US, either in America or in the UK.

Prosecutor Dennis Fitzpatrick, of the United States Attorney’s Office read out the evidence against Kotey, outlining his role in the atrocities, including subjecting the hostages to brutal treatment.

They were terrorised with mock executions, shocks with tasers, physical restraints and other brutal acts.

Kotey and Elsheikh were brought to the US last year to face charges on the condition they would not be given a death sentence.

While Kotey has now pleaded guilty, there was no update on Elsheikh, who is scheduled to stand trial in January.

Emwazi was killed by a US drone strike in 2015 while Davis is serving a sentence in a Turkish jail.

Former aircraft engineer and humanitarian Mr Haines, 44, from Perth in Scotland, was beheaded in Syria in 2014 after being held prisoner for 18 months.

Cab driver-turned-aid worker Mr Henning, 47, from Lancashire, was also beheaded in 2014 after being captured by extremists in Syria. 

Kotey and Elsheikh had taken part in and been arrested during a demonstration outside the US embassy in London in 2011 in support of the 9/11 attacks.

They travelled to Syria the following year. Kotey will be sentenced on March 4 next year.