UK supreme court ruling clears way for Isis pair to be tried in US
Source: The Guardian
UK supreme court ruling clears way for Isis pair to be tried in US
Court says Britain must supply intelligence on Alexanda Kotey and El Shafee Elsheikh after US drops death penalty
Dan Sabbagh Defence and security editor
Wed 26 Aug 2020 20.24 BST
A US trial of two members of Islamic State accused of taking part in the beheading of hostages appears likely to go ahead, following a legal ruling that allows the UK to share evidence with US prosecutors.
Britains supreme court said on Wednesday that a stay preventing the Home Office from supplying intelligence relating to Alexanda Kotey and El Shafee Elsheikh must be lifted after the US said it would drop death penalty charges against them.
The Home Office said it would not comment on what it would do next, but the UK is expected to share evidence that US prosecutors have said they believe is vital for a trial to take place.
There may, however, be a last-minute legal challenge to try to prevent the two countries from cooperating.
Kotey, 36, and Elsheikh, 32, two members of a notorious gang of four Britons that hostages nicknamed the Beatles, left the UK to join Isis soon after it emerged in Syria and Iraq. They have been accused of involvement in the gruesome killings of four US citizens and two Britons, which were filmed and broadcast online six years ago.
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Read more:
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/aug/26/us-trial-of-isis-beatles-alexanda-kotey-el-shafee-elsheikh-likely-after-uk-supreme-court-ruling-clears-way