Jihadi John's `Beatles' terror gang unmasked

Feb 09 2016 : The Times of India (Chennai) Jihadi John's `Beatles' terror gang unmasked London PTI   British accomplices of slain Islamic State (IS) terrorist executioner `Jihadi John' were unmasked on Monday as Londoners who formed part of a so-called `Beatles' terror gang. Mohammed Emwazi became known as “John“ in reference to John Lennon, lead singer of the iconic British rock group, due to his English accent.Emwazi was killed in a US drone strike in Raqqa, Syria, last November following his masked appearance in gruesome propaganda videos showing him executing hostages with a knife. It has now emerged that two of his gang members with English accents were given the nickname of “Paul“ and “Ringo“, a reference to other Beatles Paul McCartney and Ringo Starr. “Paul“ has been identified as 31-year-old Aine Davis, who is in custody in Turkey for suspected terrorism, and “Ringo“ as 32-year-old Alexe Kotey , a Londoner of Ghanaian and Greek-Cypriot backgro und whose whereabouts are unknown. The identity of the fourth member dubbed “George“, referring to George Harrison, has yet to be confirmed. Davis' wife, Amal el-Waha bi, 27, became the first woman to be jailed for terrorism offences connected to Syria in 2014 after she was caught paying a smuggler ¤20,000 in cash for her husband in Turkey . The group are believed to be responsible for the beheadings of around 27 mostly Western hostages. Kotey travelled to Gaza in 2009 on an aid convoy organised by Viva Palestina, led by UK Respect Party MP George Galloway , a BuzzFeed report said. “I have never heard of him until today . It would appear he was on the list (for the Gaza convoy). Having looked at his picture, I do not recognise him.ISIS did not exist when we took the convoy ,“ Galloway said. The terrorist “Beatles“ were friends long before they travelled to Syria, according to ITV News. Kotey converted to Islam in his teens and all three men attended the Al-Manaar mosque in Ladbroke Grove, west London, which rejected their hardline opinions. Other suspects who fall within the socalled “Beatles“ gang due to their links to Britain are being hunted by western intelligence, UK media reports. `Pay cut driving IS jihadis to rival groups' The Islamic State's recent defeats signify its worsening money problems, desertions and a dwindling pool of fighters with many of them joining rival militant groups after facing pay cuts, according to a media report. Citing top analysts and monitoring groups, the Washington Post reported that the recent losses of the terror group are linked to its struggles to pay fighters and recruit new ones to replace those who have deserted, defected to other militant groups or died on the battlefield. “These issues suggest that as an entity that is determined to hold onto territory, the Islamic State is not sustainable,“ Jacob Shapiro, an expert on the IS who teaches politics at Princeton University, was quoted as saying.