MUM'S AGONY
Mum of hostage killed by ‘evil’ Brit ISIS ‘Beatle’ begs ‘tell us where his remains are’
THE mum of a hero hostage killed by an "evil" Brit in Syria has begged him to reveal where her son's remains are.
Journalist James Foley, 40, was murdered by jihadi Alexanda Kotey, a member of an Isis gang dubbed 'The Beatles'.
3
3
Kotey, 37 - known as ‘Ringo’ - yesterday admitted helping the terror group torture and murder captives in a court appearance in the US.
Mr Foley was among four Americans killed. Fellow journalist Steven Sotloff and relief workers Peter Kassig and Kayla Mueller were also murdered.
Now Mr Foley's mum Diane has urged Kotey to tell the parents of ISIS victims where they can find the remains of their loved ones.
However, in an interview on BBC Radio 4's Today programme, she said: "I didn't get any indication he's interested in making amends.
"I hope in time he might, just because the extent of the evil he has committed - I just don't know how any soul could live with all that.
"All of us would like to know where the remains of our children are."
Most read in The Sun
Kotey, from Shepherd's Bush in West London, was one of a masked group who killed hostages in Syria in the mid-2010s.
Horrifying footage from the murders - including that of Mr Foley - was then posted online.
Kotey and alleged fellow 'Beatle' El Shafee Elsheikh are suspected of involvement in the killings of others, including humanitarian David Haines, from Perth in Scotland, and aid worker Alan Henning from Lancashire.
Elsheikh, who was captured alongside Kotey in 2018, is scheduled to stand trial next year.
The group's ringleader Mohammed Emwazi, known as Jihadi John, was killed in a drone strike.
The fourth alleged member, Aine Davis, was jailed for seven-and-a-half years in Turkey in 2019 after being found guilty of being a member of a terrorist organisation.
HORRORS INFLICTED ON CAPTIVES
Mrs Foley, who was in court for Kotey's plea, said her son's killer looked at her "briefly" during the two-hour hearing.
She said: "It was rather chilling to be there. It's the first time we've ever seen him in person.
"The fact that he was pleading guilty to all eight counts was quite amazing really."
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, as part of the plea agreement.
Mrs Foley said: "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 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."
The extent of the evil he has committed... I just don't know how any soul could live with all that
Diane Foley
Kotey faced a 24-page indictment with a lengthy list of tortures that he and Elsheikh were accused of inflicting on hostages.
It included electric shocks with a taser, forcing hostages to fight each other and 20-minute beatings with sticks and waterboarding.
The US had advised British authorities – who that its prosecutors would not seek the death penalty against Kotey or Elsheikh.
Britain has stripped both men of their UK citizenship.
READ MORE SUN STORIES
Just a week after learning he couldn't return home, Kotey moaned to an Associated Press journalist: "I found it strange that they could actually do that, revoke the citizenship of a person.
";I was born in the UK... My mother was born in the UK. I have a daughter there in the UK."
3
‘Hostage-keeper’ Alexanda Kotey talks about his role in Islamic State
We pay for your stories!
Do you have a story for The Sun news desk?
Email us at [email protected] or call 02077824104. You can WhatsApp us on 07423 720 250. We pay for videos too. Click here to upload yours
Topics