GEORGE Galloway says he does not remember an alleged British member of the Islamic State terror group, who is believed to have fled Britain in 2009 on the former MP's convoy to the Gaza Strip.
Alexanda Kotey was one of two unmasked members of the notorious ISIS execution cell headed by 'Jihadi John' - who is said to have travelled to the Middle East on an aid convoy led by the former Scots MP.
Kotey was reportedly part of the murderous gang, dubbed The Beatles because of their UK accents and thought to be responsible for the beheadings of 27 hostages.
He has been named as a key conspirator with Mohammed Emwazi - the killer given the moniker Jihadi John.
Jihadi John
A second previously unidentified member of the quartet has been identified as Aine Davis, originally from Hammersmith, who is known to have been detained by authorities in Turkey in November, having been linked with Emwazi.
Jihadi John was killed in a drone strike in Raqqa in November and was deemed responsible for the deaths of several hostages, including Britons Alan Henning and David Haines.
Mr Galloway, a London mayoral candidate has claimed he has no memory of meeting Mr Kotey.
A spokesman said: "There were 500 people on that convoy and George can't ever remember laying eyes on this guy. It's possible he was there but George doesn't remember meeting him."
The spokesman added: "It (the aid convoy) pre-dates the formation of IS, and there were something like 120 vehicles and around 500 people on it.
"Neither he nor I - as I was also on it - have any recollection of this guy.
"His name wasn't known to George before now. It is entirely possible that they could have been on that trip, but George just doesn't know the name."
George Galloway give a speech from inside Gaza in 2009
In 2009, Kotey, a 32-year-old convert to Islam, is believed to have left the UK, leaving his two children behind, as part of a convoy to support Hamas in Gaza led by then-MP George Galloway.
The so-called Viva Palestina initiative was comprised of 110 vehicles. The campaign group claimed the convoy took more than £1 million in aid to the region, including ambulances, medicine and food.
Mr Kotey, is the son of a Greek Cypriot and Ghanaian immigrants who lived in West London before moving to Syria to join Islamic State.
Kotey, known as Alexe, has been described by neighbours in his former west London community as a quiet man who was dedicated to Queens Park Rangers Football Club.
An apparent father of two, the Muslim convert was deemed influential in radicalising young British men to join IS in Syria.
Raised a Greek Orthodox Christian - his mother was said to have been Greek-Cypriot and his father Ghanaian - he converted to Islam as a teen, it was reported, where he met beheading ringleader Emwazi, and Davis.
Kotey, 32, is said to have attended the Al-Manaar mosque in London, as did Emwazi.
It is not known whether Kotey was the guard dubbed "Ringo", or "George" - allegedly the most violent of the set. The quartet were apparently given the collective nickname "The Beatles" by hostages due to their distinctive British accents.
Mr Kotey's family say they "are deeply distressed" at the claims saying they have not seen Alexe for a number of years.
There has been no official confirmation of the names by the intelligence services, although the men have long been associated with Emwazi.
Aine Davis's name has been mentioned in British court cases in connection with terror allegations as long ago as 2014.
It is said the drug dealer left England in 2013 to become an IS guard.
A former Tube driver, who was born in London with roots in Gambia, Davis is believed to have converted to Islam while serving a jail sentence in Britain. He had previously dabbled in petty crime and had convictions for drug-dealing and firearms possession.
Davis's wife, Amal El-Wahabi, was jailed at the Old Bailey in 2014 for funding terrorism. She was jailed for two years after being convicted of convincing a friend to take £15,380 in euros to Turkey to help her husband and the IS fight. It is only now that Davis has been identified as one of the alleged captors.
George Galloway speaks as the Gaza convoy sets off in February, 2009
Saleha Islam, Al-Manaar director, said the mosque has "always condemned the actions of these extremists and will continue to do so".
She said: "Al-Manaar is a centre where we have up to 3,000 people attending every week, it is not a membership club and anyone can come and pray.
"The suggestion that the mosque has radicalised young men shows how ignorant people are of Islam and how mosques work.
"Mosques are not like churches that cater for parishioners, instead it is a place for worship where people come to pray, what sort of ideas they have in their minds is something that we do not know of and we cannot control.
"As someone who has been involved in social work and community work for over 30 years, I am fully committed to ensuring that our children are not groomed and radicalised.
"We regularly hold workshops and conferences to guide our youth and community and are committed to ensuring that they have access to the real teaching of Islam."
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