Delay in extradition of suspected British 'Beatles' ISIS fighters sparks fears they will never face justice

Alexanda Kotey and El Shafee Elsheikh were expected to go on trial in the US this summer

The British extradition of Alexanda Kotey, left, and El Shafee Elsheikh to face trial in the US has been delayed. Reuters

Two men from London suspected of being members of the ISIS-affiliated “Beatles” group have still not been extradited to face trial in America.

It has raised fears they will not face justice as the trial was due to take place this summer.

Alexanda Kotey and El Shafee Elsheikh, who are being held by western-backed Kurdish forces in northern Syria, were expected to be transferred to US custody months ago.

But British counterterrorism authorities said their “rendition to justice” has been delayed by US Department of Justice prosecutors, who are continuing to examine the evidence.

“The FBI wanted to show the value in bringing Mr Kotey and Mr Elsheikh to justice and the British authorities provided them with all the evidence they have,” a Whitehall official was reported as saying. “But the whole process seems to have come to a standstill.”

The men, who have been stripped of their UK citizenship, are deemed to be members of a four-member execution cell dubbed “the Beatles”.

Among the 27 beheaded western hostages who fell victim to the group were American journalists James Foley and Steven Sotloff, and British aid workers David Haines and Alan Henning.

The families of the hostages who were murdered have expressed anger at the delay.

It comes after the pair admitted they were responsible for abducting western hostages in a TV interview last month.

Bethany Haines, the daughter of David Haines, who was beheaded in September 2014, said: “We all thought we would get some closure and sense of justice once we heard that they were arrested last year.

“But it’s still going on and every day we’re having to relive my father’s abduction and murder. The longer they are in Syria the less chance there is of them being brought to justice.”

Kotey and Elsheikh were captured by the Syrian Democratic Forces in January last year.

FBI agents were permitted the following month to visit Britain to review evidence against the men on an “information-sharing basis only”.

The UK wants the US to prosecute the men because it maintains there would be “insufficient evidence” to do so in Britain.

If tried in America and found guilty, Kotey and Elsheikh face the death penalty or life behind bars.