Two British ISIS Fighters Say Hostage Beheadings Were a ‘Mistake’

Two British members of the so-called Islamic State—who allegedly belonged to an infamous cell dubbed “The Beatles”—called the group’s hostage beheadings “a mistake” in an interview with the Associated Press. El Shafee Elsheikh and Alexanda Amon Kotey were captured by “Kurdish-led, U.S.-backed Syrian Democratic Forces” in early January and are being held in a Syrian detention center. In the interview, both men insisted that they can’t get a fair trial after losing citizenship in their home country. They did not admit to being members of the “Beatles” cell, but when asked about the group’s beheadings, Kotey said that many ISIS members “would have disagreed” with killing those like journalist James Foley because “there is probably more benefit in them being political prisoners.” Elsheikh echoed that sentiment, saying that the slayings were a “mistake,” and the militants should have never threatened to kill hostages because if they didn’t follow up, they would’ve lost “credibility.”