Two British members the Islamic State group believed to have belonged to a cell notorious for beheading hostages in northern Syria said Friday that their home country's revoking of their citizenship denies them the possibility of fair trial. They are believed to be among four British jihadis who made up the IS cell which became known for its brutality, holding in captivity more than 20 Western hostages, and torturing and killing several, including American, British and Japanese journalists and aid workers, in 2014 and 2015. Advertisement

Image: Alexanda Amon Kotey (L) and El Shafee Elsheikh have spoken out following their capture

"In my opinion they should be given an orange jumpsuit and stripped of all the things they hold dear and left to rot in Guantanamo Bay." Though they spoke of their membership in the Islamic State group, they did not admit to belonging to the cell or to have been involved in any of the kidnappings or killings. Elsheikh, from White City in west London, called the allegations ‘propaganda.’

Asked about the beheadings of American journalist James Foley and other victims, Kotey, from Paddington, said many in IS ‘would have disagreed’ with the killings ‘on the grounds that there is probably more benefit in them being political prisoners.’

‘As for my position, I didn’t see any benefit. The leader of the cell, Mohammed Emwazi, was dubbed "Jihadi John" in the British media after he appeared, masked, in a string of videos showing beheadings of the hostages. He said he could have "no fair trial" when he was "the Beatle" in the media. Bethany Haines has been angered by claims from Alexanda Kotey and El Shafee Elsheikh that they will not get a fair trial after being stripped of their UK citizenship. Image: David Haines was beheaded by Mohammed Emwazi

The pair used the interview to hit out at the "audacity" of the UK Government for its decision to strip them of their British citizenship in February. The revocation of citizenship exposes them to ‘rendition and torture,’ Elsheikh said, ‘being taken to any foreign land and treated in anyway and having nobody to vouch for you.’

‘When you have these two guys who don’t even have any citizenship …if we just disappear one day, where is my mom going to go and say where is my son,’ he said. “When you have these two guys who don’t even have any citizenship… if we just disappear one day, where is my mum going to go and say where is my son.”

He added they could also have “no fair trial, when I am ‘the Beatle’ in the media”.
Alexanda Amon Kotey and El Shafee Elsheikh, detained in Syria on suspicion of beheading hostages for Islamic State, claim their right to a fair trial has been breached by the government of the United Kingdom stripping them of citizenship.