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| Islamic State 'Beatles' on way to face US charges | Islamic State 'Beatles' on way to face US charges |
| (32 minutes later) | |
| Two ex-British Islamic State (IS) prisoners are travelling to the US to appear in court later over the killing of Western hostages, CBS News said. | Two ex-British Islamic State (IS) prisoners are travelling to the US to appear in court later over the killing of Western hostages, CBS News said. |
| Alexanda Kotey and El Shafee Elsheikh are accused of belonging to an IS cell dubbed "The Beatles" involved in kidnappings in Iraq and Syria. | Alexanda Kotey and El Shafee Elsheikh are accused of belonging to an IS cell dubbed "The Beatles" involved in kidnappings in Iraq and Syria. |
| CBS, the BBC's US news partner, cited a source saying the pair are on their way to the US to appear in a federal court. | CBS, the BBC's US news partner, cited a source saying the pair are on their way to the US to appear in a federal court. |
| The men, previously in US military custody in Iraq, deny the charges. | The men, previously in US military custody in Iraq, deny the charges. |
| It comes after the UK sent evidence to the US following assurances the two men will not face the death penalty. | It comes after the UK sent evidence to the US following assurances the two men will not face the death penalty. |
| They are alleged to have been members of an IS gang responsible for the death of hostages in Iraq and Syria in 2014. | They are alleged to have been members of an IS gang responsible for the death of hostages in Iraq and Syria in 2014. |
| The men were previously stripped of their UK nationality. | The men were previously stripped of their UK nationality. |
| The victims - who included American journalists and UK and US aid workers - were beheaded and their deaths filmed and broadcast on social media. | The victims - who included American journalists and UK and US aid workers - were beheaded and their deaths filmed and broadcast on social media. |
| Hostages nicknamed three men - Kotey, Elsheikh and Mohammed Emwazi, known as "Jihadi John" and who died in a drone strike - after the 1960s pop group due to their British accents. | Hostages nicknamed three men - Kotey, Elsheikh and Mohammed Emwazi, known as "Jihadi John" and who died in a drone strike - after the 1960s pop group due to their British accents. |
| The US sought the UK's help in the case but until recently a legal fight over the use of the death penalty hampered co-operation. | The US sought the UK's help in the case but until recently a legal fight over the use of the death penalty hampered co-operation. |
| Last month, the US made clear Kotey and Elsheikh would not be executed if found guilty. | Last month, the US made clear Kotey and Elsheikh would not be executed if found guilty. |
| Step towards closure | |
| This is a huge development in this case. | |
| These two Londoners were captured two years ago by Kurdish forces and handed over to US custody in Iraq, where they've been for the past 12 months. | |
| They deny torturing and murdering hostages - but that is what they are accused of. | |
| They are being brought to a US court in Virginia, near Washington DC. | |
| Their appearance will come as a step towards closure for the families of those who were killed - in some cases beheaded in videos on social media - in Iraq and Syria. | |
| IS once controlled 88,000 sq km (34,000 sq miles) of territory stretching from western Syria to eastern Iraq and imposed its brutal rule on almost eight million people. | IS once controlled 88,000 sq km (34,000 sq miles) of territory stretching from western Syria to eastern Iraq and imposed its brutal rule on almost eight million people. |
| The liberation of that territory exposed the magnitude of the abuses inflicted by the jihadist group, including summary killings, torture, amputations, ethno-sectarian attacks, rape and sexual slavery imposed on women and girls. Hundreds of mass graves containing the remains of thousands of people have been discovered. | |
| UN investigators have concluded that IS militants committed acts that may amount to war crimes, crimes against humanity and genocide. |