ISIS Suspected Member Aine Davis Admits Guilt in Terrorism Case

Aine Davis, a man previously linked to the ISIS terror cell known as the Beatles, has pleaded guilty to charges of possessing a firearm for terrorist purposes and funding terrorism. Davis appeared in court via video link from Belmarsh Prison and will be sentenced on November 13. He has already served a prison sentence in Turkey for his affiliation with the Islamic State group and was arrested upon his return to the UK last August. Davis was suspected of being part of the Beatles gang, infamous for videoing the beheadings of their British, American, and European hostages. While Davis will face charges related to terrorism and possession of a firearm, there has been no attempt to put him on trial for his involvement in the kidnapping gang, despite previous attempts by the then Home Secretary Priti Patel to extradite him to the US. Davis knew two other members of the gang, Alexander Kotey and Mohammed Emwazi, who was famously known as Jihadi John and killed in a US drone strike. Davis argued that he should not be tried in the UK, as he had already served a sentence in Turkey for similar offenses, but his plea was rejected by the court. He ultimately admitted to possessing a firearm for terrorist purposes and two charges linked to funding terrorism after sending a picture of himself with a rifle in Syria to his wife at the time, Amal El-Wahabi. Before leaving for Syria, Davis was involved in drug dealing and had a history of carrying a gun, resulting in a previous conviction in 2006. He converted to Islam and embraced violent extremism, eventually joining the Islamic State group in Syria in 2013. Davis was first brought to attention during the trial of his wife, who was found guilty of sending him money for terrorism. He was later arrested in Turkey in 2015 and convicted of being an ISIS member before being deported to the UK. Despite efforts to pursue a case against him in the US, Davis was arrested upon his arrival at Luton Airport.