Britain WON’T block death penalty for ISIS ‘Beatles’ gang – paving way for them to be tried in America
Letter from Home Secretary reveals he will not 'formally oppose' the pair being sent to Guantanamo Bay
BRITAIN has dropped blanket opposition to the death penalty for two IS terrorists so they can face justice, Ministers declared yesterday.
In a furious Commons exchange, Security Minister Ben Wallace confirmed the UK now wanted two members of the so-called ‘Beatles’ terror cell to be tried in America.
And he said Britain had not demanded assurances the pair would escape execution in the States as it would “get in the way” of putting the pair on trial.
The revelation sparked uproar as Tory and Labour MPs said the decision would come back “to haunt” Theresa May.
But sources told The Sun it was the only chance of London-born Alexanda Kotey and Shafee El-Sheikh ever seeing a courtroom.
One said: “We don’t get a win win option – we get this. They can’t be tried in the UK as we don’t have the evidence. This way we hope they will be brought to justice in the States.”
It comes as former Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson warned that helping the US prosecute the pair would prevent Britain demanding others are spared the death penalty in future, according to the Daily Telegraph.
He ultimately agreed that “the benefits outweigh the risks”, as his concerns were detailed in a “sensitive” briefing document circulated to key civil servants and ministers, according to the paper.
“The Foreign Secretary considers that not seeking assurances … could damage our ability to secure adequate assurances from the US and other countries in future, but agrees that the benefits outweigh the risks in this instance,” the briefing note says, according to the paper.
Speaking to the Telegraph, a government source did not deny Mr Johnson had concerns, it's claimed, and explained his support of the policy saying: "Should we prevent [the men] from being tried and brought to justice because of the risk of the death penalty?”
The Sun Says
SPARE us the hand-wringing angst over the fate of two IS jihadis allegedly involved in beheading Western hostages in Syria. We couldn’t care less.
Alexanda Kotey and Shafee El-Sheikh are no longer British. They did not commit these crimes here. If the US wants to try them for butchering three Americans as well as two Brits, great.
We should give them every scrap of evidence we have. And if this pair face the death penalty under US law, what business is it of ours?
Yes, the men may want to be martyrs. Rather that than they be expensively tried here, then languish in our jails for years at vast cost to the taxpayer.
It is pathetic to hear Labour claim Home Secretary Sajid Javid has “abandoned Britain’s opposition to the death penalty”. Of course he hasn’t.
These two alleged monsters simply stand a far better chance of conviction under US law. We can’t dictate which state tries them — or the punishment.
If in the end they are executed, will anyone not on Labour’s front bench shed a tear?
Kotey and El-Sheikh were part of a cell led by ‘Jihadi John’ which beheaded British aid workers David Haines and Alan Henning as well as US journalists James Foley and Steven Sotloff. They are currently being held in Syria after being caught trying to flee in January.
British insiders yesterday said they had told US authorities they would share all the intelligence they had on the pair – as long as they weren’t put in Guantanamo Bay. One source said they couldn’t then also call for a blanket block on a possible death penalty.
It is understood the UK government hopes the terrorists can be prosecuted in a “jurisdiction” which doesn’t have the death penalty if the US can ever bring them out of Syria.
The row erupted yesterday after a letter from Home Secretary Sajid Javid to US Attorney General Jeff Sessions was leaked on Sunday night. In it he said: “I am of the view that there are strong reasons for not requiring a death penalty assurance in this specific case, so no assurances will be sought.”
Met Police and the FBI have collected more than 600 witness statements in a criminal inquiry 14 other countries. But Mr Javid’s letter – sent last month – reveals concerns that laws in this country may not be robust enough to ensure a successful prosecution.
No.10 insisted the PM supported the decision – and the Government’s general opposition to the death penalty remained in place.
The PM’s deputy spokeswoman said: “The ultimate aim for all of us in our discussions with the US is to make sure that these men face the rest of their lives in prison.
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“That is also what the victims’ families want, and in this instance after careful and considered advice government took the decision not to seek assurances. That was deemed by ministers to be appropriate.”
James Foley’s mother Diane yesterday insisted she was opposed to the death penalty as it would make the two killers “martyrs in their twisted ideology”.
She said: “I would like them to be accountable by being sent to prison for the rest of their lives.”
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