PETER KASSIG

A British man nicknamed one of the Beatles by his captives because of his English accent has been sentenced to life in prison for his role in the deaths of four U.S. hostages captured by the Islamic State.

A jury has convicted a British national for his role in an Islamic State group hostage-taking scheme that took roughly two dozen Westerners captive a decade ago.

Jurors at the terrorism trial of British national El Shafee Elsheikh are hearing emotional testimony as the trial stretches into its second week in a Virginia courtroom.

A hostage who survived more than a year as a captive of the Islamic State is testifying about the beatings and torture inflicted on him by his captors.

A British national has admitted in federal court that he played a leadership role in an Islamic State scheme to torture, hold for ransom and eventually behead American hostages.

One of two British nationals charged with joining with the Islamic State group and conspiring to torture and behead American and European hostages in Syria is scheduled to plead guilty to criminal charges.

(AP Photo/Hussein Malla, File)ALEXANDRIA, Va. – Two British men charged with helping the Islamic State group carry out executions and ransom negotiations for Western hostages pleaded not guilty Friday in a federal court. At a brief hearing Friday in the court just outside Washington, D.C., the two men pleaded not guilty and requested a jury trial. No trial date was set after both men waived their right to a speedy trial because of the case's complexity. A status hearing was set for Jan. 15 to set a trial date then. “This involves a long investigation involving multiple countries,” Fitzpatrick said when asked about the volume of evidence that must be weighed.

El Shafee Elsheikh and Alexanda Kotey are two of four men who were dubbed “the Beatles” by the hostages because of the captors' British accents. The charges are a milestone in a yearslong effort by U.S. authorities to bring to justice members of the group known for beheadings and barbaric treatment of aid workers, journalists and other hostages in Syria. “If you have American blood in your veins or American blood on your hands, you will face American justice,” said Demers, the department's top national security official. The indictment charges the men in connection with the deaths of four American hostages — Foley, journalist Steven Sotloff and aid workers Peter Kassig and Kayla Mueller — as well as European and Japanese nationals who were also held captive. In July 2014, according to the indictment, Elsheikh described to a family member his participation in an IS attack on the Syrian Army.