Try Islamic State 'Beatles' duo at The Hague, says defence minister Tobias Ellwood
2 min read
Two British-born Islamic State fighters captured by Syrian Kurdish forces should be put on trial at The Hague, according to a defence minister.
Tobias Ellwood said there should be "an agreed international process" for Alexanda Kotey and El Shafee Elsheikh - part of four UK IS members dubbed The Beatles - to be brought to justice.
The pair, who have been stripped of their British citizenship, are alleged to have been responsible for the execution of western hostages.
They are currently being held by US-backed Syrian Democratic Forces in a "detention location" in Syria, according to the American military.
Mr Ellwood, whose brother was killed in the 2002 terror attack in Bali, told The Daily Telegroph: "Guantanamo Bay created a new combatant status that bypassed the Geneva convention, used torture and failed to address a wider global jihadist insurgency that continues today.
"The horror of 9/11 meant we briefly lost sight of the standards and rule of law that took centuries to develop and fundamentally distinguish us from the terrorist."
He added: "Given the scale of foreign fighters we should consider an agreed international process involving The Hague, which ensures terrorists from any origin are transparently and fairly held account for their actions."
Defence Secretary Gavin Williamson told The Sun the pair should never set foot in the UK again.
He said: "They turned their back on Britain, our values and everything we stand for - they are the worst of the worst.
"These people have killed innocents and tried to bring terror to the streets of our country.”
"I am glad they have been hunted down and now is time for them to be held to account and pay the price for their barbaric crimes."
And Tory MP Tom Tugenhadt, chairman of the Foreign Affairs Select Committee, said: "Those who take up arms against their country are traitors.
"These jihadists deserve to have the full force of the law used against them... But it is important that we use the law not brutal, summary justice of the kind these men used on their victims."
The other two 'Beatles' cell members were Mohammed Emwazi and Aine Davis.
Emwazi was killed in a drone strike in 2015 in Raqqa, while Davis was jailed in Turkey last year.
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