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The Beatles (terrorist cell)
Countries	Within portions of Syria and Iraq (in the self-declared, unrecognized Islamic State)
Allegiance	ISIS
Role	Guards and executioners
Size	3
Garrison/HQ	Syria
Nickname(s)	The Beatles
Colors	Black
Commanders
Ringleader	Jihadi John
Members	Jihadi George Jihadi Ringo

The Beatles, dubbed as such by their former and current hostages because of their British accents, are an active Islamic State (IS) terrorist cell of three members nicknamed John, Paul, and Ringo by the hostages. They are responsible for beheadings in Iraq and Syria, most notably as shown in the beheading videos of American journalists James Foley and Steven Sotloff, and British aid worker David Haines.

Cell

The Beatles are three of an estimated 500 British Muslims fighting on behalf of the jihadist Islamic State to impose a caliphate in Syria and Iraq. The Beatles are reportedly harsher than other Islamic State guards. They are the most feared of the jihadists because of their taste for the macabre and their beatings, use of Taser guns, and waterboarding, according to a freed French hostage.

Islamic State fighters are believed to be holding more than 20 foreign hostages.

Jihadi John

"Jihadi John" is the nickname given by news media to an unidentified member of the Islamic State (IS; previously ISIS or ISIL) known for appearing to be the murderer responsible for several beheading incidents in 2014. Jihadi John was given his nickname by a group of released hostages who said he was the leader of the terrorist cell called "The Beatles", and handled relations with families of foreign hostages. The nickname was based on John Lennon of the British rock band the Beatles, with other members of the cell known as "George" and "Ringo" after Beatles George Harrison and Ringo Starr, as the cell members all had British accents.

The jihadist known as "John" has been identified by the British counter-intelligence and security agency MI5, and appeared in a beheading video as Foley's killer. He spoke with a British accent in the video, and UK Prime Minister David Cameron said: “from what we have seen it looks increasingly likely that it is a British citizen.”

Identification and manhunt

Jihadi John became the focus of a manhunt by the FBI, MI5, and Scotland Yard. In his videos, Jihadi John conceals his identity by covering himself from head to toe in black, except for tan desert boots, with a mask that only leaves his eyes visible. Despite that, several facts about Jihadi John can be ascertained from both videos. He speaks with a "Multicultural London English" accent, and appears to have a skin tone consistent with African or South Asian descent. In both videos, he sports a pistol in a leather shoulder holster under his left shoulder, typical of right-handed people, but his actions in the videos have led him to be widely considered to be left-handed.

Other factors that could lead to his identification are his height, general physique, the pattern of veins on the backs of his hands, and his voice and clothes. A team of analysts might use the topography of the landscape in the video to attempt to identify the location. On 24 August 2014, the British Ambassador to Washington, Sir Peter Westmacott, said that Britain was very close to identifying Jihadi John using sophisticated voice recognition technology, but when pressed, refused to disclose any other details.

On 14 September, David Cameron confirmed that Jihadi John's identity is known, it has yet to be revealed.

Possible identity

On 24 August 2014, it was reported that MI5 and MI6 (the British Secret Intelligence Service (SIS), which supplies the British Government with foreign intelligence) were investigating three men who left the United Kingdom for Syria to fight with the Islamic State. The key suspect is Abdel-Majed Abdel Bary, an amateur rapper from London, and the son of Egyptian militant Adel Abdel Bari. Other suspects include Junaid Hussain, a computer hacker from Birmingham; and Abu Abdullah al-Britani from Portsmouth.

Executions

A former Islamic State member said that using a British man to carry out the beheadings was likely a deliberate effort by IS to "project the image that a European, or a Western person, executed an American so that they can ... appeal to others outside Syria and make them feel that they belong to the same cause."

Syrian soldier

In a video posted on Instagram in May 2014, a man who investigators believe may be Jihadi John is seen in a video killing a Syrian soldier. It shows a soldier loyal to President Bashar al-Assad crouching in a field in Syria, then being shot in the back of the head by a man armed with a pistol.

James Foley

In a video uploaded to YouTube on 19 August 2014, Foley read a prepared statement criticizing the United States, the recent air strikes in Iraq and his brother who serves in the United States Air Force. Jihadi John, wearing a mask, also read a prepared statement in which he criticized America and President Barack Obama and made demands to cease the 2014 American intervention in Iraq. The masked man then beheaded Foley off-camera, after which he threatened to behead Steven Sotloff if his demands are not met. The FBI and United States National Security Council confirmed that the video, which included footage of Foley's beheaded corpse, is genuine.

Steven Sotloff

On 2 September 2014, a video was released reportedly showing American journalist Steven Sotloff's beheading by Jihadi John. The White House confirmed the video's authenticity.

David Haines

On 13 September 2014, a video, directed at British Prime Minister David Cameron, was released, showing British hostage aid worker David Cawthorne Haines being murdered by Jihadi John.

Analysis of beheading videos

Official analysis

Officially the FBI and United States National Security Council confirmed that the videos, which ended with footage of beheaded corpses, are genuine. David Cameron and the British Foreign Office also confirmed the authenticity of the video showing the death of David Haines.

The videos were produced and distributed by Al Hayat Media Center, a media outlet of IS that is under the authority of the IS's official propaganda arm, the Al-Itisam Establishment for Media Production, that targets specifically Western and non-Arabic speaking audiences.

Unofficial analysis

An unnamed forensics expert commissioned by The Times to look at the video said "I think it has been staged. My feeling is that the murder may have happened after the camera was stopped." The Times concluded that "No one is questioning that the photojournalist was beheaded, but camera trickery and slick post-production techniques appear to have been used." Two unnamed video specialists in the International Business Times of Australia claimed that portions of the video appeared to be staged and edited. Dr. James Alvarez, a British-American hostage negotiator, also claimed the video was "expertly staged". Jeff Smith, Associate Director of the CU Denver National Center for Media Forensics said “What’s most interesting is that the actual beheading that takes place in the videos, both of them are staged,”

British analyst Eliot Higgins (Brown Moses) published photographic and video forensic evidence suggesting that the video was taken at a spot in the hills south of the Syrian city of Raqqa.

Jihadi John claims there are more than 20 hostages remaining. Many hostage families choose not to reveal their relatives' names to avoid drawing attention to them and thus compromising their safety.

Reactions

 United States - Barack Obama condemned the actions of Jihadi John and vowed punishment for all the militants responsible behind the videotaped beheadings. Secretary of State John Kerry also called Jihadi John a "coward behind a mask" and, echoing Obama, stated that all those responsible would be held accountable by the United States.

 United Kingdom - British officials have also reiterated their commitment to capturing Jihadi John. Admiral Alan West, a former UK Security Minister, said that he is a "dead man walking" who will be "hunted down like Osama Bin-Laden". David Cameron also stated that he was absolutely certain that Jihadi John would "one way or another, face justice".

The use of "Beatles" as a nickname for the group elicited a response from Ringo Starr, who stated his disgust at the use of his former band's name in this context, adding that the Beatles had stood for peace and opposed violence.

See also

• Beheading in Islamism
• Kidnapping in Islamism

References

1. "The Beatles terrorist group". NY POST. Retrieved 12 September 2014.
2. "British Isis militant in James Foley video 'guards foreign hostages in Syria'". The Guardian. 20 August 2014. Retrieved 13 September 2014. {{cite news}}: Unknown parameter |authors= ignored (help)
3. McShane, Larry (21 August 2014). "ISIS jihadist who beheaded James Foley may be Londoner named John". New York Daily News. Retrieved 15 September 2014.
4. ^ "British ISIS Militants Dubbed 'Beatles' Guarded Syria Hostages - NBC News". NBC News. Retrieved 16 September 2014.
5. "Ringo: Nicknaming The British ISIS Militants 'The Beatles' Is 'Bullsh*t'". Talking Points Memo. Retrieved 16 September 2014.
6. ^ "Experts study David Haines beheading video on hunt for Jihadi John - Mail Online". Mail Online. Retrieved 16 September 2014.
7. Drury, Ian (14 September 2014). "The monster hiding behind a black mask: Intelligence experts study new beheading video in desperate hunt for Jihadi John". Daily Mail Online. Archived from the original on 15 September 2014. Retrieved 15 September 2014.
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20. Sherwell, Philip (24 Augusr 2014). "Britain 'very close' to identifying 'Jihadi John' – suspected killer of James Foley – says ambassador". Telegraph. Retrieved 24 August 2014. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
21. Almasy, Steve (26 August 2014). "Britain close to identifying James Foley's killer, ambassador says". CNN. Retrieved 26 August 2014.
22. "The British connection to ISIS beheadings". CNN. 14 September 2014. Retrieved 14 September 2014.
23. ^ "London hip-hop artist Abdel-Majed Abdel Bary key suspect in hunt for killer of American journalist James Foley". news.com.au. Retrieved 24 August 2014.
24. "British rapper, a hacker and jihadi propagandist possible identities of 'John the Beatle', suspected killer of US journalist James Foley". News.Au. Retrieved 23 August 2014.
25. "London rapper Abdel-Majed Abdel Bary investigated as police hunt for 'Jihadi John'". Evening Standard. 23 August 2014. Retrieved 24 August 2014.
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28. Paul Lewis (2 September 2014). "Isis video purports to show execution of US journalist Steven Sotloff". The Guardian. Retrieved 2 September 2014.
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32. Christoph Günther (20 August 2014). "Der 'Islamische Staat' agiert hochgradig rational". Deutsche Welle.
33. Deborah Haynes (25 August 2014). "Foley video with Briton was staged, experts say". The Times. Retrieved 27 August 2014.
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35. "Media Forensics Experts Analyzing ISIS Video In Denver « CBS Denver". Retrieved 15 September 2014.
36. "France 24: Exécution de James Foley: la traque de "Jihadi John" est lancée". France 24. Retrieved 11 September 2014.
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39. Chulov, Martin (20 August 2014). "Islamic State militants seize four more foreign hostages in Syria". The Guardian. Retrieved 23 August 2014.
40. Julie Pace (3 September 2014). "Obama says beheading videos won't intimidate US". Yahoo News!. AP. Retrieved 3 September 2014. Quote: "one is a 26-year-old woman who was kidnapped while doing humanitarian aid work in Syria, according to a family representative who asked that the hostage not be identified out of fear for her safety."
41. ^ David, Julie Hirschfeld (2 September 2014). "After Beheading of Steven Sotloff, Obama Pledges to Punish ISIS". New York Times. Retrieved 11 September 2014.
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44. "Ringo Starr disgusted by ISIS nickname". Mail Online. Retrieved 16 September 2014.

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