Alleged member of ‘The Beatles’ ISIS cell admits to terrorism charges in London court
- Aine Davis pleaded guilty to possession of a firearm contrary to Section 57 of the Terrorism Act 2000, and 2 charges of funding terrorism between 2013 and 2014
- Davis has denied being connected with The Beatles IS cell – so-called because of their British accents – which tortured and beheaded western hostages in Syria
A British Muslim convert once suspected of being a member of a death squad dubbed “The Beatles” from the so-called Islamic State has pleaded guilty to terrorism charges.
Aine Leslie Davis, 39, was deported from Turkey last August after serving a seven-and-a-half year sentence for membership of IS, an armed terrorist group.
On his arrival at Luton airport, he was detained by British counterterrorism police and charged with three offences.
Ahead of his planned Old Bailey trial, Davis’ legal team claimed the case should be thrown out because he could not be tried twice for the same offending.
British authorities were also accused of “conniving” with Turkish counterparts in his deportation in a failed bid by the then-Home Secretary Priti Patel to arrange his onwards extradition to the US where two other IS Beatles were tried.
In legal argument, defence lawyer Mark Summers KC noted “the spectre” of suspicion around Davis’s involvement with the Beatles cell from 2014 onwards.
