A British Islamic State “Beatle” on trial in the US boasted to an FBI agent how he had once been enrolled in the UK Army Cadets and used the “useful” skills he learned later fighting in Syria.

El Shafee Elsheikh, 33, of west London, told FBI Special Agent John Chiappone during interrogations in custody in Syria how he and fellow Beatle Alexanda Kotey had been in the youth cadets, a court in Virginia heard on Friday.

Elsheikh, who is accused of being a member of a four-man cell of British jihadists who kidnapped, tortured and executed American and British prisoners, said he “loved” being in the cadets at the time.

The Army Cadets is a national youth organisation sponsored by the Ministry of Defence and the British Army, which “aims to inspire young people to challenge their limits, grow their abilities and go further in life,” according to its website.

Elsheikh said the map and compass training in particular came in handy during his battles fighting the UK-allied Syrian Democratic Forces and the Syrian army. “It was very useful for the Islamic State,” he said.

He was also familiar with the phonetic alphabet commonly used in the military for radio communications, and knew call signs.

The court also heard how fellow Beatle, Alexanda Kotey, who was captured alongside Elsheikh in 2018, had been in the UK Air Cadets, where he “learned how to fly an unpropelled glider” – a “Bulldog” as Kotey called it.

Both men went on to develop a “true hatred” from their home country, and the West more generally, the court heard this week. Their military training had not previously been reported.

The pair are said to have risen through the ranks of the IS to become senior members, put in charge of guarding up to 27 foreign hostages.