'Can you make it quick?' Beheaded Isis victim reveals her father's final words

1 July 2022, 09:21

The daughter of a British aid worker beheaded by Islamic State militants dubbed 'the Beatles' has revealed her father's finals words before he was executed by Jihadi John.

Bethany Haines said her father David asked the ringleader of the terror cell Mohammed Emwazi, known as Jihadi John, to 'make it quick' when he was led away to be killed in 2014.

Details of his final moments were recalled to her in a two-hour US meeting with UK-born terrorist Alexanda Kotey in Virginia.

Kotey, 37, was jailed for life in April for his part in the torture and murder of western hostages. 

An emotional Miss Haines, 24, told ITV News: "He [Kotey] told me that Jihadi John had been away to execute my father and my father knew what was coming, closed his eyes, and said, 'Can you make it quick?"

"I can picture him saying that, in his orange jumpsuit, with his eyes closed. I can picture him saying, 'Please make it quick'."

She also said Kotey revealed that her father's death was delayed so that his killers had time to film from different angles for their gruesome propaganda video.

Former RAF worker Mr Haines, from Perth, was captured by militants in Syria in March 2013 while delivering aid to the war-torn country. His remains have never been discovered.

Miss Haines said Kotey told her he had followed her father for a couple of days before abducting him, and apologised for his role in the murder.

She said: "I asked for an apology.'I pressed on with it and eventually he did say, "I am sorry for" - he just used my words for it - "abducting and hurting your dad". Did he mean it? No."

Read More: Isis ‘Beatle’ Alexanda Kotey jailed for life for role in killing of hostages

Read More: British 'Isis Beatle' El Shafee Elsheikh guilty of hostage taking after US trial

Kotey may yet be brought back to the UK to be charged with the deaths of other hostages, including Mr Haines.

Kotey's co-defendant, El Shafee Elsheikh, 33, will be sentenced in August for his role in the plot.

The pair were captured in 2018 as Syrian forces regained territory from IS.

Both were stripped of their UK citizenship before their extradition to the US.Jihadi John was killed in a 2015 drone strike. The three, along with a fourth man Aine Davis, were known to their Western captives as the 'Beatles' because of their British accents.

Kotey admitted eight charges of kidnap, torture and executing hostages.In passing sentence, trial Judge TS Ellis described his behaviour as 'egregious, violent and inhuman'.

US authorities say they tortured and beheaded 27 hostages, including British aid workers Mr Haines and Alan Henning in 2014.