A Canadian citizen who led propaganda efforts for the Islamic State group and personally executed two Syrian troopers in extensively circulated movies was sentenced to life in prison Friday by a U.S. judge. According to the Department of Justice, Mohammed Khalifa served as a lead translator in ISIS’s propaganda manufacturing and the English-speaking narrator on a number of violent ISIS movies.
Prosecutors sought the life sentence for Khalifa, 39, a Saudi-born Canadian who held distinguished roles for the Islamic State group from 2013 till his seize in 2019.
In a sentencing memorandum, prosecutors stated Khalifa performed a key position in the group’s profitable efforts to recruit tens of hundreds of international fighters to defend its self-proclaimed caliphate in Iraq and Syria.
In two infamous propaganda movies titled “Flames of War,” Khalifa will be seen taking pictures Syrian troopers in the again of the top after they dug their very own graves. He additionally narrated the movies.
Khalifa’s protection attorneys had sought a time period of simply 20 years at Friday’s sentencing listening to in Alexandria, Virginia. They argued that he was much less culpable than two British-born Islamic State members — Alexanda Kotey and El Shafee Elsheikh, nicknamed the “Beatles” by their captives — who personally beat and tortured Western hostages. Both Kotey and Elsheikh had been convicted in Alexandria; one has obtained a life sentence and the opposite is anticipated to get life when he’s formally sentenced subsequent month.
They additionally argued that it is flawed for the U.S. to impose such a extreme sentence in opposition to a Canadian who was not convicted of immediately killing or harming any Americans and will have simply as simply been extradited to Canada.
Khalifa pleaded responsible final yr to terrorism expenses. In a letter to U.S. District Judge T.S. Ellis written forward of Friday’s sentencing listening to in Alexandria, Virginia, Khalifa stated he felt compelled to assist the Syrian individuals in their revolt in opposition to dictator Bashar al-Assad, however that he made a mistake by opting to change into a fighter as opposed to becoming a member of an assist group.
“As I followed the events in Syria, I became disgusted with myself for sitting by and not doing something,” he wrote.
According to an FBI affidavit, Khalifa instructed FBI brokers he anticipated to be despatched to an ISIS coaching camp when he joined the group in late 2013. Instead, he was recruited to be a part of the group’s media division due to his English language abilities and spent practically 5 years as a pacesetter in their propaganda unit.
That unit was notably behind the manufacturing of movies of international hostages being executed, together with U.S. journalists James Foley and Steven Sotloff, who had been decapitated in 2014.
Khalifa supplied the narration and translation for about 15 movies created and distributed by ISIS, the Justice Department said in a news release.
“Khalifa directed various supporter networks that assisted in the translation, production and dissemination of propaganda released under various ISIS media brands in order to reach Western audiences,” the division stated.
Khalifa instructed brokers he was captured in January 2019 when he defied an ISIS order to flee from advancing forces. Instead, he stated, he launched a solo assault of types on Syrian Defense Forces, surrendering after his AK-47 rifle jammed.
In a 2019 interview the with Canada’s CBC from his Syrian prison, Khalifa confirmed no remorse for his actions. He stated he needed to return to Canada along with his spouse and their three youngsters, however on the situation that he wouldn’t be tried there.
However, he was entrusted in 2021 to American authorities and finally transferred to the United States.
AFP contributed to this report.
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