US hits ‘Beatles’ cell member, 6 more with terror sanctions
WASHINGTON — The United States imposed sanctions Thursday on seven people for allegedly supporting the Islamic State group or al-Qaida, including a member of the IS cell dubbed “The Beatles.” The sanctions also targeted a diverse array of individuals from Asia, Europe and New Zealand that the U.S. accuses of being terrorists.
The State Department declared El Shafee Elsheikh, one of the notorious British-sounding captors accused of executing hostages, to be a global terrorist. The U.S. said Elsheikh travelled to Syria in 2012 and first joined al-Qaida’s branch there, and then later joined IS, beheading more than 27 hostages and torturing others.
The designations freeze any assets that Elsheikh and others targeted may have in the U.S. and bars Americans from doing business with them.
The U.S. also targeted Anjem Choudary, one of Britain’s best-known radical Islamic preachers, who was sentenced last year to 5 1/2 years in prison for encouraging IS. For years, he ran groups in the U.K. under the names al-Muhajiroun, Islam4UK and Muslims Against Crusades. Several people who attended his rallies or events have been convicted of violent attacks. The State Department said Choudary has vowed to continue recruiting extremists while in prison.