[6][7][8] He has been designated a terrorist by the United States and identified in the media as one of the four "Jihadi Beatles" who took part in atrocities in the Syrian Civil War.

[10] Syrian Democratic Forces holding him in detention say Kotey was engaged in a criminal career as a drug dealer in London prior to his radicalisation.

[4][11] In 2014 and 2015, the Islamic State held dozens of European and North American captives, and the brutal conditions of their detention were widely reported.

[citation needed] The US claims that Kotey was involved in beheadings and known for administering "exceptionally cruel torture methods", including "electronic shocks".

[6][7][8] On 24 January 2018, Kotey and El Shafee Elsheikh, a friend from London who was also reported to have been one of the Jihadi Beatles, were captured in Syria while attempting to flee to Turkey.

[15] On 9 October 2019, Charlie Savage, of The New York Times, reported that Kotey and El Shafee Elsheikh were in the process of being transferred from Kurdish territories to custody of the US.

[17] In September 2021, it was announced that, as per a plea agreement, Kotey would plead guilty to all of the charges against him and would spend the rest of his life in prison, initially in the US and, after 15 years, in the United Kingdom.

[20] On 29 April 2022, Kotey was sentenced to life in prison at the federal courthouse in Alexandria, Virginia for the torture and murder of four American hostages in Syria.