Barr says he’ll drop death penalty threat against ISIS terrorists who killed American aid worker

The Department of Justice will not pursue the death penalty against two Islamic State terrorists who admitted to killing U.S. aid worker Kayla Mueller if the United Kingdom agrees to share information on the pair, according to a letter released Wednesday.

Alexana Kotey and El Shafee Elsheikh last month admitted their involvement in the kidnapping of Ms. Mueller, who was tortured and sexually abused before her death in Syria in 2015.

The two British terrorists are part of a four-person Islamic State cell dubbed the “Beatles” because of their British accents.

Both are currently in U.S. custody in Iraq. U.S. officials are eager to move them to the United States for a trial, but efforts have been stalled for months.

The United Kingdom Supreme Court earlier this year ruled that it was unlawful for Britain to share information with Washington unless U.S. officials give assurances they will not pursue the death penalty.

Attorney General William P. Barr gave that assurance to Priti Patel, secretary of state for the British Home Department, in a letter late Tuesday.

“I am writing to provide an assurance that, if the United Kingdom grants our mutual legal assistance request, the United States will not seek the death penalty in any prosecutions it might bring against Alexanda Kotey or El Shafee Elisheikh and if imposed, the death penalty will not be carried out,” Mr. Barr wrote.

Mr. Barr said he’s willing to abandon the death penalty because U.S. prosecutors need “important evidence” they have requested from the United Kingdom to proceed with prosecution.

“We would hope and expect that, in light of this assurance, the evidence and will now be provided promptly,” Mr. Barr wrote.

“However, time is of the essence,” he continued. “Further delay is no longer possible if Kotey and Elisheikh are to be tried in the United States and further delay is an injustice to the families of the victims.”

Mr. Elisheikh has also admitted to torturing another U.S. hostage, James Foley, who was kidnapped by Islamic while working as a freelance war correspondent.

Mr. Foley was beheaded in 2014 by another Islamic State member.

The two terrorists had previously denied meeting Ms. Mueller but later recanted in interview tapes obtained by NBC News.

“She was in a large room, it was dark, and she was alone, and … she was very scared,” said Elsheikh in the NBC News tape.

The Islamic State reportedly demanded 5 million euros from Ms. Mueller’s family and if they did not comply, they would send a picture of her dead body