British IS Terror Suspects Captured In Syria

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The last two members of a notorious Islamic State unit have been captured in Syria, according to US officials.

Alexanda Kotey and El Shafee Elsheikh are believed to have been part of a four-man cell that murdered more than two dozen hostages and tortured many more.

The New York Times says the two men were captured in January by members of the US-backed Syrian Democratic Forces, who are targeting remnants of IS.

The four men, all from London, were nicknamed 'The Beatles' because of their British accents.

Defence Secretary Gavin Williamson told The Times: "These are people who have done absolutely vile and despicable crimes and brought absolutely so much misery.

"It is good that they have been hunted down and caught."

In January 2017, the US State Department said the notorious cell, once headed by now-deceased Mohamed Emwazi (also known as 'Jihadi John'), is responsible for holding captive and beheading approximately two dozen hostages, including several westerners.

Emwazi, who was killed in a US air strike in 2015, appeared in a number of videos in which captives including British aid workers David Haines and Alan Henning were beheaded.

The fourth member, Aine Davis, was convicted of being a member of a terrorist organisation and jailed for seven-and-a-half years at a court in Silivri, Turkey, in May 2017.