IS terrorist 'Jihadi Ringo' requests transfer to UK prison, sparking outrage

So-called Islamic State group terrorist El Shafee Elsheikh, known as "Jihadi Ringo," has applied to transfer from a US high-security prison to the UK despite having his British citizenship revoked, triggering outrage from his victims' relatives.

The 37-year-old member of the infamous "Jihadi Beatles" execution cell is serving eight consecutive life sentences in Colorado after he was convicted in 2022 on terrorism charges, including hostage-taking and conspiracy to murder.

Elsheikh was part of the cell that tortured and executed multiple hostages, including journalists James Foley, Steven Sotloff, aid workers David Haines, Peter Kassig and Alan Henning, and human rights activist Kayla Mueller, all between 2013 and 2015.

He was described by the hostages as the main guard and carried out most of the brutal torture, which included waterboarding and electric shocks.

The US government attributed a total of 27 beheadings to the group.

Elsheikh claims he made the request based on his desire to serve his life sentence closer to family and friends.

"The idea someone this evil could be back in a British prison makes my skin crawl," said Bethany Haines, daughter of murdered Scottish aid worker David Haines told UK newspaper The Sun.

"He left this country to bring terror to the world and inflicted the most appalling treatment on my father."

The transfer request comes after US President Donald Trump's Deputy Assistant Sebastian Gorka called on the UK in January to honour a "commitment" to take back its IS-affiliated nationals.

According to UK Shadow Justice Secretary Robert Jenrick the application is a no-go.

"(Britain) stripped him of his citizenship precisely so he never steps foot on British soil again," he said.

"If he wants to go home, he can go to Sudan," Jenrick added.

This is not the first time Bethany Haines has spoken out about Elsheikh and his role in her father's death.

"No punishment is enough for these barbarians and in my opinion they should be sentenced to a slow, painful death," Haines told ITV when he was apprehended in 2018.

Who are the 'Jihadi Beatles'?

Elsheikh and fellow "Beatle" Alexanda Kotey were captured by the Syrian Democratic Forces in 2018. The cell received its nickname from hostages due to the members' British accents.

David Haines was abducted while working at a Syrian refugee camp in 2013 and beheaded on camera by cell leader Mohammed Emwazi, dubbed "Jihadi John," who was later killed in a drone strike.

Haines' widow, Dragana Prodanović Haines, said at the time that Emwazi's death was "too easy for him".

Kotey, dubbed "Jihadi George," was sentenced to life imprisonment in the US in 2022 after pleading guilty to terrorism charges.

Aine Davis served seven years in Turkish prison before returning to the UK in 2022, where he faces additional terrorism charges.

Born in Sudan but raised in west London after seeking refuge in Britain, Elsheikh, who worked as a mechanic prior to joining the IS, had his UK citizenship revoked in 2018. He applied for his move to the UK under the International Prisoner Transfer Programme.

The US Department of Justice notified victims' families of the request, giving them 30 days to submit objections.

The UK Ministry of Justice said it has not received any application but retains the right to refuse transfer requests.