US prosecutors have told the UK that it will not seek a direct act of death penalty after a British-born Alexanda Kotey pleaded guilty to several accusations levelled against him.
The British-born who was a member of the ISIL (ISIS) team in Syria and accused of beheading American hostages, has pleaded guilty to eight US criminal charges, including lethal hostage-taking and conspiracy to support “terrorists” activities.
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London born Alexanda Kotey is one of the two ISIL members who were held in Iraq by the US military before being taken to the US to face trial on “terrorism” charges.
Appearing before US District Judge TS Ellis on Friday, September 3, 2021, in Alexandria, Virginia, Kotey pleaded guilty to the murders of journalists James Foley and Steven Sotloff and aid workers Kayla Mueller and Peter Kassig.
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According to Ellis, under a cautious arrangement between US and British authorities, Kotey could be transferred to the United Kingdom after serving a 15 years’ prison term.
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The Justice Department of the US further said in a statement that although Kotey agreed to serve life imprisonment without bail, if the sentence he serves in the UK is less than life for any reason, Kotey has agreed “to be transferred back to the United States to serve the remainder of his sentence”.
Ellis added that as part of the plea, Kotey had agreed to “full complete and truthful” cooperation with the US and foreign government investigators and to supervised meetings with members of the families of hostage victims.
Following this situation, the British government for reasons best known to them withdrew Kotey’s citizenship in 2018.
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Kotey was also among other things, suspected of partaking in graphic ISIL videos posted online, showing beheadings of foreign hostages.
A 24-page indictment includes a lengthy list of acts of torture that Kotey is accused of inflicting on hostages, including electric shocks with a Taser, forcing hostages to fight each other and beatings with sticks and waterboarding.
Meanwhile, New Zealand police have also shot and killed an ISIS supporter who has injured at least six people in a supermarket “terrorist attack” in the Auckland suburb of New Lynn on Friday, September 3, 2021.
New Zealand Police
Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern in a news conference said: “This afternoon at approximately 2:40 p.m., a violent extremist undertook a terrorist attack. This was a violent attack, it was senseless, and I am so sorry it happened.”
Ardern further added that the man was a Sri Lankan national who supports ISIS ideology, and a “known security threat.”
The Prime Minister added that he was under constant surveillance by multiple government agencies and security personnel who were able to shoot and kill him within 60 seconds from the start of the attack.
New Zealand Police Commissioner Andrew Coster, who described him as a lone actor said the attacker obtained a knife within the store and used it to stab shoppers before police shot him to death.
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