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Turkey to deport alleged Islamic State 'Beatle' Aine Davis to Britain

Aine Davis (left), is believed to have been part of the Islamic State execution cell dubbed 'The Beatles.' Credit: Metropolitan Police/PA Archive/PA Images

A British man who is alleged to have been part of an Islamic State execution cell dubbed ‘The Beatles’ is due to be returned to the UK after officials in Turkey confirmed he is no longer in custody there. Aine Davis is accused of being a member of the gang of Londoners responsible for kidnapping ISIS hostages in Syria, beheading some victims on camera before posting the videos online.

Authorities in Turkey have confirmed to ITV News that Davis has been released from a maximum-security prison in Ankara after serving his seven-and-a-half-year sentence for being a member of ISIS.

Labelled the ‘fourth Beatle,' Davis is thought to have been scheduled for deportation to the UK following his release, but it is unclear whether he has yet been transferred to the UK.

Aine Davis (bottom row, second from right). Credit: Metropolitan Police/PA Archive/PA Images

Officials have been exploring ways to monitor Davis within the community. It is not known whether he will face charges in what would be the unique case of a British ISIS fighter who travelled to Syria returning to Britain having served time for the offence in a third country. 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.

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

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