Aid Worker Held Hostage By ISIS For 14 Months Testifies Against Alleged Captor In US Court

An Italian aid worker earlier taken hostage by ISIS has detailed the 'regime of punishment' he endured after his capture.

It comes amid the US federal trial of El Shafee Elsheikh, an ex-British jihadist accused of hostage-taking and conspiracy to commit murder as part of an ISIS militant group.

Elsheikh has claimed he wasn't part of the group, which allegedly tortured and beheaded a number of hostages in Syria, as well as taking more than 20 Western hostages between 2012 and 2015.

The captors were known as the 'Beatles' due to their British accents and nicknamed John, Paul, George and Ringo.

Federico Motka was held captive by ISIS executioners for 14 months. During Elskeikh's trial, Motka described his conditions after being taken hostage near the border of Turkey and Syria in 2013; more specifically, explaining 'the box'.

He said, as per the New York Post: "They gave us dog names. We needed to come and immediately respond," or else he would be beaten by his captors.

Motka is the first surviving hostage to testify at Elsheikh’s trial. Two other aid workers – Peter Kassig and Kayla Mueller – were also taken hostage, along with four Americans, including journalists James Foley and Steven Soloff, all of whom were killed.

Motka recalled having to fight Foley and another British hostage, John Cantile, in a 'Royal Rumble' fight in 'the box'.

He said: "They were super excited about it. We were so weak and shattered we could barely lift our arms."

It's believed the group 'engaged in a prolonged pattern of physical and psychological violence against the hostages', employing torture methods such as electric shocks, mock executions and waterboarding for those who lost the fights.

Despite Elsheikh's denial, with lawyers citing how he was fully masked when around hostages, prosecutors have argued he participated in the 'unrelenting and unpredictable abuse'.

Elsheikh's defence has described the government's evidence as 'inconsistent and unconvincing', arguing that he wasn't a member of the so-called 'Beatles', but was instead a 'simple ISIS fighter'.

He earlier attributed the planning of hostages' murders to Mohammed Emwazi, known as Jihadi John, who was killed in a US-UK drone strike in 2015.

The other two alleged 'Beatles' – Aine Davis or 'Paul', and Alexanda Kotey or 'Ringo' – are being held in custody in Turkey and the US respectively.

Kotey pleaded guilty in September last year, receiving a life sentence without parole.

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