The Department of Justice announced Wednesday the indictment of two fighters affiliated to the Islamic State group who are alleged to have killed American journalists and aid workers.
El Shafee Elsheikh and Alexanda Kotey were previously in U.S. military custody in Iraq and have been transported to Virginia to face trial.
Elsheikh and Kotey, both of the United Kingdom, are two of the four ISIS fighters nicknamed "The Beatles" by intelligence officers because of their British accents. They've been linked to the killings of aid workers Peter Kassig and Kayla Mueller and journalists Steven Sotloff and James Foley.
“These charges are the product of many years of hard work in pursuit of justice for our citizens slain by ISIS. Although we cannot bring them back, we can and will seek justice on behalf of their memories,” Attorney General William Barr said in a statement. “My message to other terrorists around the world is this — if you harm Americans, you will face American arms on the battlefield, and if you survive that ordeal, you will face American law in our courtrooms with the prospect of many years in an American prison. Either way, you will never live in peace — you will be pursued to the ends of the earth until justice is done.”
Barr was not present at Wednesday's press conference as he is currently self-isolating amid a COVID-19 outbreak in the Trump administration.