Hostage survivor testifies in trial of ISIS member accused in deaths of several Americans
CNN
A hostage taken by the ISIS terror cell known as the "Beatles" testified Thursday in a trial against one of the alleged members, El Shafee Elsheikh, who is accused of assisting in the kidnapping, torture and death of several Americans, Europeans and other foreign nationals from 2012 to 2015.
During the second day of trial, Italian aid worker Federico Motka told the jury how he was captured, imprisoned and tortured by the terror cell alongside other hostages who were eventually killed, including Americans James Foley, Steven Sotloff, Kayla Mueller and Peter Kassig.
The so-called Beatles -- as the hostages came to call them because of their British accents -- were the primary handlers of the hostages and, according to the Department of Justice, Elsheikh is the last of the group to stand trial. His co-defendant pleaded guilty in September and the other member, Mohamed Emwazi, was killed in a drone strike in 2015.
NATO defense ministers are expected to finalize an agreement on Friday that will give the alliance greater control over security assistance and training for Ukraine’s military, in an attempt some officials say is meant to give Europe greater responsibility over the aid amid uncertainty over the outcome of the US presidential election this fall.
Former President Donald Trump led House Republicans through a gripe-filled closed-door meeting on Capitol Hill on Thursday, airing grievances about his legal and electoral challenges, attacking his critics in the room, and only briefing addressing policy matters like abortion and taxes, according to multiple GOP lawmakers in the room.
Former President Donald Trump is back in Washington for the first time since becoming the presumptive Republican nominee, holding a pair of significant, closed-door meetings with key congressional allies, vice presidential hopefuls and even a few former outspoken opponents – all of whom are expected to line up behind him this fall.