U.S. jury finds member of Islamic State 'Beatles' cell guilty of terrorism offenses

FILE PHOTO: El Shafee Elsheikh, a former British national accused of engaging in lethal hostage-taking and conspiracy to commit murder as an alleged member of an Islamic State cell nicknamed "the Beatles" that operated in Syria and Iraq, takes off his face mask and glasses for identification purposes as he attends testimony in his trial in U.S. federal court in Alexandria, Virginia, U.S. April 1, 2022. REUTERS/Bill Hennessy

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - A member of a group of Islamic State militants who beheaded American hostages in Iraq and Syria, nicknamed "The Beatles" for their British accents, was found guilty in U.S. court of terrorism offenses on Thursday.

A jury found El Shafee Elsheikh, 33, guilty on all counts following a jury trial in Alexandria, Virginia, just outside Washington, on charges including lethal hostage-taking and conspiracy to commit murder.