ISIS captives were forced to sing "Hotel Osama" with lyrics referencing beheading, hostage testifies at terror trial in Virginia

A French journalist held by ISIS testified Wednesday that he and different hostages have been compelled by their captors to sing a wicked parody of the Eagles music "Resort California" referred to as "Resort Osama."

"It was terrifying for us, a joke for them," Nicolas Henin stated on the Arlington, Virginia trial of El Shafee Elsheikh, a 33-year-old former British nationwide.

Elsheikh is accused of involvement within the murders of American journalists James Foley and Steven Sotloff and assist employees Kayla Mueller and Peter Kassig.

Henin is one in every of a number of former hostages who've testified on the trial in federal courtroom of the alleged member of the infamous ISIS kidnap-and-murder cell often called the "Beatles."

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French journalist and former hostage in Syria Nicolas Henin provides a press convention at Le Level newspaper headquarters on September 6, 2014 in Paris. 

ALAIN JOCARD/AFP through Getty Photos

Henin stated the phrases to "Resort Osama" included the unique lyrics from "Resort California" about checking in however by no means leaving, however with a twist.

"In case you attempt, you will die Mr. Bigley type," the lyrics went, a reference to British engineer Kenneth Bigley, who was beheaded in 2004 by Jordanian Abu Musab Zarqawi, head of the al Qaeda terror community in Iraq.

Henin stated he was captured in June 2013 on his fifth reporting journey to Syria.

He was held alone for 2 days in a rest room however managed to flee by breaking bars on the home windows with a brush.

After operating the entire evening, he arrived at a village at daybreak and spoke to 2 males in pajamas.

"Sadly they have been ISIS fighters," he stated.

Returned to captivity, he was crushed and brought exterior and "hung within the air for a few hours" along with his fingers and ft chained collectively.

"Positive I'll die"

Henin was later positioned with different hostages together with Frenchman Pierre Torres and Danish photographer Daniel Rye Ottenson.

British assist employee David Haines and Italian reduction employee Federico Motka arrived later.

After being taken to a different jail, three guards arrived sooner or later talking with British accents.

Haines and Motka advised the opposite hostages they have been the "Beatles," Henin stated, utilizing the nickname given to the jihadist jailers due to their British accents.

"They have been terrified," he stated of Haines and Motka. "Shaking."

They have been later joined by Sotloff, Foley, John Cantlie, a British journalist captured with Foley, Toni Neukirch, a German citizen, and 5 Medical doctors With out Borders (MSF) employees.

He stated the Beatles would come round a couple of times every week, "typically for a spherical of beatings."

After his launch in April 2014, Henin offered the authorities with info that was utilized in a rescue try.

"I spent a very long time with companies, describing the situation, giving particulars to the particular person in command of getting ready the raid," Henin stated.

The U.S.-led rescue mission was launched on July 4, 2014 however the hostages had been taken elsewhere simply days earlier.

"That they had been moved previous to the operation," stated Robert Daniel Story, an FBI particular agent who was concerned in preparations for the raid and took the witness stand after Henin.

"We have been very disillusioned," Story stated.

The "Beatles" held at the least 27 overseas hostages in Syria between 2012 and 2015.

Quite a lot of European journalists and assist employees have been launched after ransoms have been paid however the Individuals -- Foley, Sotloff and Kassig -- have been killed and movies of their murders launched by IS for propaganda functions.

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Peter Kassig 

CBS

Kassig's father learn the letter his son wrote in 2014 from the witness stand.

"Dad, I am paralyzed right here. I am afraid to battle again. A part of me nonetheless has hope. A part of me is bound I'll die," he wrote to his father, Ed Kassig.

The lengthy, handwritten letter was delivered to his household by a launched hostage.

"Don't fret Dad, if I do go down I will not go pondering something however what I do know to be true, that you just and Mother love me greater than the moon!" Peter Kassig wrote.

Kayla Mueller was reportedly handed over to ISIS chief Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, who allegedly raped her repeatedly earlier than killing her.

Elsheikh and one other former British nationwide, Alexanda Amon Kotey, have been captured in January 2018 by a Kurdish militia in Syria.

They have been turned over to U.S. forces in Iraq and flown to Virginia in 2020 to face prices of hostage-taking, conspiracy to homicide U.S. residents and supporting a overseas terrorist group.

Kotey pleaded responsible in September 2021 and is going through life in jail.

"Beatles" executioner Mohamed Emwazi was killed by a U.S. drone in Syria in 2015, whereas the fourth member of the cell, Aine Davis, is imprisoned in Turkey after being convicted of terrorism.

Elsheikh has denied the fees, and his attorneys declare his arrest is a case of mistaken id.

The Related Press contributed reporting.

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