Harrison Thorp 7 a.m.
Friday, April 15, 2022 7:01 am
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ALEXANDRIA, Va, - A jury on Thursday convicted a former British national in the beheading of war correspondent James Foley, who grew up in Wolfeboro, N.H., and whose family has called Rochester, N.H., home for decades.
The trial lasted six weeks but the jury deliberated just four hours before it found El Shafee Elsheikh, 33, guilty on charges including lethal hostage-taking and conspiracy to commit murder.
Elsheikh was part of an Islamic State terrorist cell called "The Beatles" for their British accents. The group is considered responsible for Foley's beheading in Syria in August 2014. A video showing the gruesome act was later released on social media and later verified by U.S. government officials.
The charges against Elsheikh, whose British citizenship was withdrawn in 2018, could carry a death sentence, but prosecutors have said they will not seek the death penalty but life in prison.
The City of Rochester renamed its community center The James W. Foley Memorial Community Center on May 4 to commemorate Foley's service and sacrifice.
Alexanda Kotey, another of the Beatles, was sentenced last fall to life in prison for his role in Foley's death.