IS 'Beatle' Aine Davis arrested at Luton Airport after return from Turkey

Aine Davis (left) has been arrested at Luton Airport after returning from Turkey.

Aine Davis, a British man who was allegedly part of an Islamic State execution cell dubbed ‘the Beatles’, has been arrested in relation to terrorism offences.

Police confirmed a 38-year-old man has been detained at Luton Airport on Wednesday after he arrived on a flight from Turkey.

Turkish authorities confirmed to ITV News earlier in the day that Davis, who had been held in custody the country, had been released from a maximum-security prison in the capital Ankara.

Labelled the ‘fourth Beatle,' Davis is accused of being a member of the gang of Londoners said to be responsible for kidnapping ISIS hostages in Syria, beheading some victims on camera before posting the videos online.

The Met Police said: “The 38-year-old man was arrested this evening after he arrived into the UK on a flight from Turkey.

“He was arrested in relation to offences under sections 15, 17 and 57 of the Terrorism Act, 2000 and was taken to a south London police station, where he currently remains in police custody.”

Despite his conviction for membership of the terror group in Turkey, he has always denied the specific allegation of being part of the four-men cell which included Mohammed Emwazi, the British executioner known as Jihadi John.

Western hostages named their captors ‘The Beatles’ because of their British accents.

The gang’s victims included journalists and aid workers, such as British men David Haines and Alan Henning.

Davis’ identity was first revealed as part of an ITV News investigation into the kidnap cell in 2016.

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Davis admitted that he attended the same mosque as Emwazi in west London, but he denied being part of the kidnap gang once they travelled to Syria.

Emwazi was killed by a drone strike in November 2015 - the day Davis was arrested by Turkish police.

Two other members of the cell, Alexanda Kotey and El Shafee Elsheikh were transferred to the United States in 2019, where they are now serving prison sentences.

Kotey has told interrogators in the US that although Davis visited his house for lunch while in Syria, he had no direct involvement in the hostage-keeping operation.

Who are the so-called 'IS Beatles' and what is El Shafee Elsheikh accused of?

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