News   /   Society

UK police stop schoolgirl from joining ISIL

Armed British Transport Police officers patrol the Eurostar platforms at St Pancras railway station in London, the UK, January 8, 2015. (© AFP)

A British schoolgirl’s plans to flee the country and join the Takfiri ISIL group have been thwarted by police following a newspaper investigation.

According to reports, the Daily Mail alerted authorities to a 16-year-old girl from east London who was planning to flee to Syria after she finished her exams. A journalist from the right-wing newspaper is said to have gone undercover online, posing as a 16-year-old girl in order to get information.

The suspect’s older sister is thought to have already gone to Syria and was allegedly trying to convince the undercover reporter to join her there.

Commander Richard Walton, from the Metropolitan police’s counter-terrorism command, said “Upon receiving the information, officers acted promptly and were able to identify the girl concerned, and preventative steps have now been taken to do all we can to safeguard her… this case is a frightening example of how quickly social media can be used to groom vulnerable young people… This is a stark reminder to parents and the community of the speed with which these cases can develop.”

This case is just one of many high profile cases involving young British people attempting to or successfully fleeing to Syria to team up with ISIL. Perhaps the most notorious case is that of Mohammed Emwazi, a young man from west London who has become the brutal ISIL executioner known as ‘Jihadi John.’ Other high profile cases include the three British schoolgirls who successfully fled to Syria via Turkey from London.

Home Secretary Theresa May has said that “the police and security service are working hard every day to keep our country safe, but it is up to all of us to stand united against extremism, support the pluralistic values that underpin our society, and stop young and vulnerable people from being drawn into this kind of trouble.”

LM/HJL


Press TV’s website can also be accessed at the following alternate addresses:

www.presstv.co.uk

SHARE THIS ARTICLE
Press TV News Roku