Ex-hostage recounts ordeal at trial of Islamic State jihadist

El Shafee Elsheikh

A former hostage has testified in a US court that he was subject to beatings and given dog names by his Islamic State captors.

Federico Motka, an Italian aid worker, was one of dozens of hostages held in harsh captivity by the group in Syria.

El Shafee Elsheikh, 33, is standing trial in Virginia accused of hostage-taking and conspiracy to commit murder as part of a notorious militant cell.

They were known as the Beatles because of their British accents.

Mr Elsheikh has denied being part of the group.

In court on Wednesday, Mr Motka testified that he was repeatedly beaten, held in isolation in what hostages dubbed "the box" and put into stress positions during the 14 months he was held by the group. He was once beaten with a rubber cable for an hour .

The aid worker said the Beatles were fond of "playing games" with their hostages.

"They gave us dog names," he said. "We needed to come and immediately respond."

Prosecutors allege that Mr Elsheikh's actions resulted in the death of four US hostages, including journalists James Foley and Steven Sotloff and aid workers Kayla Mueller and Peter Kassig.

• How four men survived as hostages of IS

• Who were the Islamic State 'Beatles'?

Additionally, he has been charged with conspiring in the deaths of two British aid workers, David Haines and Alan Henning, as well as Japanese journalists Haruna Yukawa and Kenji Goto.

In 2013, Mr Motka was captured together with Mr Haines, who was beheaded the following year.

Federico Motka (far left) alongside fellow former hostages Daniel Rye Ottosen, Pierre Torres and Didier Francois in 2016

Fearful of being discovered referring to their captors as "Brits", the hostages began referring to them with Beatles nicknames: George, Ringo and John. Prosecutors believe Mr Elsheikh was Ringo.

In his testimony, Mr Motka testified that over several months as a hostage he was repeatedly beaten by Beatles members, who referred to him as "posh" and an obscene term because of his boarding school education.

"They said I was arrogant, and that they were going to take me down a peg," he testified, adding that at least three British-accented men were among his captors.

The use of the British profanity led to a moment of unintentional comedy in the courtroom, after Mr Motka had to explain its meaning to the American judge. The British slang is expected to play a key role in the trial as prosecutors seek to establish the group's role in the hostage-takings.

Authorities believe Mr Elsheikh - a Sudanese-born Londoner stripped of his British citizenship in 2018 - was a key part of the Beatles and personally took part in the execution and mistreatment of hostages, as well as in coordinating ransom negotiations.

Clockwise from top left: Aid workers Kayla Mueller and Peter Kassig, and journalists Steven Sotloff and James Foley

The indictment against him alleges that in one instance, Mr Elsheikh helped transport several European hostages to witness the execution of a Syrian prisoner. After videotaping the man's death, Mr Elsheikh is said to have warned a European hostage "you're next".

In total, the Beatles are alleged to have held 27 people captive.

During opening statements on Wednesday, Mr Elsheikh's defence team characterised him as a "simple Isis fighter" and called the evidence against him "inconsistent and unconvincing".

The man believed to the Beatles' leader, Mohammed Emwazi - known as Jihadi John - was killed in a drone strike in Syria in 2015. Two other members, Aine Davis and Alexanda Kotey, are being held in Turkey and the US, respectively.

Over 50 witnesses are expected to testify during Mr Elsheikh's trial, which is likely to last three or four weeks.