El Shafee Elsheikh, a convicted ISIS terrorist once part of the notorious execution squad dubbed “The Beatles, is attempting to move back to the UK—despite being stripped of his British

citizenship years ago.

Elsheikh, known by hostages as “Jihadi Ringo,” grew up in White City, west London, after his family fled Sudan when he was a child. In 2012, he left Britain on a budget flight and never came back, eventually joining ISIS in Syria.

He became part of the infamous four-man terror cell that carried out brutal torture and filmed beheadings of foreign hostages, crimes that horrified the world. In 2022, he was sentenced to life in a US prison for his role in the murders of American journalists James Foley and Steven Sotloff, as well as aid workers Peter Kassig and Kayla Mueller.

Now, he has asked to be transferred from a maximum-security prison in Colorado to the UK, claiming he wants to be closer to his family.

Families outraged by his request

For the families of his victims, the news is devastating.

Bethany Haines, whose father David was kidnapped in 2013 while working at a Syrian refugee camp, called the request “an outrageous insult.”

Her father’s death was one of the many killings attributed to *The Beatles*, who were considered the most ruthless of ISIS’s jailers. Former hostages recalled that whenever the group arrived, torture or beatings followed.

The Beatles of ISIS

The four men, all from London, earned their nickname from captives who ironically compared them to the famous band. Their real names were Mohammed Emwazi (“Jihadi John,” later killed in 2015), Alexanda Kotey, Aine Davis, and El Shafee Elsheikh.

Together, they are believed to have executed up to 27 people, mostly Western hostages, filming the gruesome acts to spread fear across the globe.

Will he be allowed back?

Despite his citizenship being revoked in 2018, Elsheikh has filed his transfer request under international prisoner agreements. A notice sent to victims’ families confirmed that the US government is reviewing the application, saying authorities will weigh law enforcement opinions along with the views of victims’ families before making a decision.

For many, the very idea that Elsheikh could set foot on British soil again—prison or not—feels like reopening old wounds. Photo by Statea USA, Wikimedia commons.