The two Islamic State militants captured in Syria last month could be returned to the UK to face trial, home secretary Amber Rudd hinted.
Alexanda Kotey and El Shafee Elsheikh are believed to be members of the group nicknamed "The Beatles" and they are known for murdering and torturing a number of hostages.
Defence secretary Gavin Williamson had earlier said he was against bringing the two back to Britain and the US had ruled out putting them in the Guantanamo Bay detention facility.
Although she refused to confirm if the duo will return to Britain, Rudd said the important thing was that Kotey and Elsheikh were arrested. “I can’t be drawn at the moment on where that will be but I am absolutely convinced and absolutely committed to making sure that they will face trial because the security of the United Kingdom will always come first,” she said.
Refusing to let them set foot in Britain, Williamson had said: “The day these barbaric terrorists turned their back on this country in pursuit of an evil agenda of bloodshed and slaughter, they forfeited their right ever to return.”
They are not British subjects and should “pay the price for their crimes in Syria,” he said.
Reports claim the duo has been stripped of their British citizenship, but the home office has not confirmed this.
Who are The Beatles?
The Beatles are responsible for the beheading videos of American journalists James Foley and Steven Sotloff, and British aid workers David Haines and Alan Henning. According to reports, their torture methods are particularly severe, as they use electric shock Taser guns, mock executions and waterboarding.
The Beatles first garnered media attention back in 2014 when several escaped and freed hostages spoke of a trio of Brits who acted as guards. According to an NBC News source, “The Beatles were harsher than other guards. They were really rough with them. Whenever the Beatles showed up, there was some kind of physical beating or torture.”
