LONDON: Two terrorists of British origin being tried in the US for their affiliation and actions with Daesh in Syria are assembling a group of world-famous lawyers to represent them in their upcoming legal battle.
El Shafee Elsheikh, 32, and Alexanda Kotey, 36, dubbed the “Beatles” due to their British connection, have hired lawyers who represented actress Rose McGowan, the first public accuser of disgraced film mogul Harvey Weinstein.
The accused, who have been stripped of their British citizenship since their capture in Syria in 2018, were secretly flown from an American military base to the US. They have recently appeared via videolink in a Virginian court for the start of legal proceedings, where they pleaded not guilty to eight charges relating to the torture and murder of Western hostages.
Their star-studded legal team includes lawyers who defended American archbishop Theodore McCarrick, who was defrocked by Pope Francis after a Vatican investigation found him guilty of sexually abusing a 16-year-old boy.
Another solicitor set to defend the Daesh duo is Jessica Carmichael, who last year took up the case of a US police officer who became an Daesh supporter. Carmichael also represented McGowan in her iconic #MeToo case.
Elsheikh, however, is expected to rely most heavily on the expertise of Edward B MacMahon, a defense attorney who has represented several terrorists tried in the US. His past clients include Walid bin Attash, who he defended in Guantanamo Bay after he was involved in the planning of the 9/11 attacks.
MacMahon has also defended British national Zacarias Moussaoui, dubbed the “20th hijacker” in the 9/11 atrocities.
Moussaoui, who studied in London before his terroristic activities, was spared the death penalty following his trial in a Virginia court, the same one where Elsheikh and Kotey will be tried.
Like Moussaoui, the so-called “Beatles” will not face the death penalty after the US Attorney-General William Barr assured the British domestic security service MI5 it was off the table in exchange for intelligence used in court.
UK Daesh ‘Beatles’ group set to be represented by #MeToo lawyers
https://arab.news/j8m89
UK Daesh ‘Beatles’ group set to be represented by #MeToo lawyers
- El Shafee Elsheikh and Alexanda Kotey have hired lawyers who represented actress Rose McGowan
- McGowan was the first public accuser of disgraced film mogul Harvey Weinstein
Sweden seizes false-flagged ship with suspected stolen Ukrainian grain
- The Russian embassy in Stockholm said it had been informed by the Swedish coast guard that 10 of the crew were Russian citizens
STOCKHOLM: Police in Sweden have seized a false-flagged cargo ship off its southern coast believed to belong to Russia’s shadow fleet and suspected of transporting stolen Ukrainian grain, authorities said Saturday.
The 96-meter (315-foot) Caffa left Casablanca in Morocco on February 24 and was headed for Saint Petersburg, Russia when armed Swedish police boarded it on Friday off the southern town of Trelleborg.
“The vessel is on the Ukraine sanctions list. Information indicates that it has essentially been used to transport grain that is stolen, as we understand it, from Ukraine,” the coast guard’s acting head of operations, Daniel Stenling, told a press conference.
“We have been able to establish that the vessel is sailing under a false flag. She is registered in Guinea, but that registration is in fact false,” he added.
“A majority” of the 11 crew members were Russian, Stenling said.
The Russian embassy in Stockholm said it had been informed by the Swedish coast guard that 10 of the crew were Russian citizens.
“The Russian embassy in Sweden is in contact with the competent Swedish authorities and is ready, if necessary, to provide consular assistance to the Russian nationals among the crew,” it wrote on Telegram.
One crew member was under investigation for violation of the maritime code on seaworthiness and on ship safety, Stenling said, refusing to disclose the suspect’s identity or crew role.
“The investigative measures we have taken so far reinforce our suspicions and our view that there are extensive maritime safety deficiencies on this vessel,” he said.
The Swedish Transport Agency was to inspect the ship and determine whether it was seaworthy and authorized to continue its journey.
- ‘Risk of accidents’ -
Moscow’s “shadow fleet” consists of vessels with opaque ownership used to skirt Western sanctions.
“It’s a problem for us that we are seeing more ships that don’t respect the law of the sea,” Stenling said, noting that “the risk of accidents increases when ships are not certified.”
“We might not even know what kind of crew is on board, what kind of skills they have, what certifications they hold, and they often lack insurance if something were to happen,” he added.
Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andriy Sybiga on Saturday thanked Sweden.
“Collective action against such vessels is gaining momentum. This is a welcome development,” he wrote on X.
“Sanctions work when they are strictly enforced. Together, we must stop the activities of Russia’s shadow fleet to protect Europe’s security and environment.”
