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British teenager Abdullah Deghayes 'killed in Syria conflict' Abdullah Deghayes killed in Syria conflict: My son the martyr, by father of British teenager
(about 2 hours later)
Officials are investigating the death of a British teenager believed to have been killed in conflict in Syria. The father of an 18-year-old Brighton man killed while fighting alongside his brothers with rebel forces in Syria has said his son was "a martyr" who died "for a just cause".
Police on Friday said they received reports earlier this week that 18-year-old Abdullah Deghayes had been killed in the country in recent weeks, although the circumstances of his death remain unclear. Abdullah Deghayes, who left the UK for Syria with his 16-year-old brother Jaffar in January, is thought to have been killed in combat within the past few weeks, shortly after his 18th birthday. His older brother, Amer, 20, who is understood to have gone to fight in Syria after joining an aid convoy to the region last year, has also been wounded, the boys' father Aberbaker Deghayes said.
The teenager, who was due to go to university but had run away from his Brighton home in January,  is the nephew of former Guantanamo Bay detainee Omar Deghayes - who was held by the US as an enemy combatant between 2002 and 2007. Mr Deghayes said that the brothers had gone to Syria "of their own free will" without the consent of their parents, but had not been in contact with any groups encouraging young Muslims to fight in Syria.
His family confirmed his death to local newspaper The Argus but said that they did not know he had travelled to the war-torn country. Yesterday, the brothers' aunt told of how their mother had been "distraught" to discover that Abdullah and Jaffer had gone missing, later discovering that their passports were gone. 
The Foreign Office have said they are urgently looking into the matter, in light of concerns about the hundreds of Britons who have journeyed to Syria to take part in jihad, or holy war. "They are in contact with their mum," Amani Deghayes told The Independent. "Their dad says he has tried speaking to them, that he would tie them up and bring them back if he could."
Abdullah’s father, Abubaker Deghayes, said he learned of his son’s death through Facebook. Abdullah is the nephew of former Guantanomo Bay detainee Omar Deghayes, but Ms Deghayes said that though the brothers' decision to go to Syria had not been influenced by him but was "a symptom the current times".
Speaking at his home in Brighton, he said: “At the moment we do not have details of his death. All that we know is that he was killed in Syria. The family is mourning." Speaking outside his home in Brighton yesterday their father said he had "never encouraged" his sons to go and fight but felt "some comfort" knowing he had fought for "just cause".
The BBC reported that one of Abdullah's brothers was also injured, while another brother was unhurt. "The cause is to help those who are being bombed daily by Assad and killed by his bombings and air raids and soldiers for nothing except to ask for their freedom," he said. "I hope this was his intention, I hope he is rewarded and I hope he is in peace now."
Mr Deghayes said young people travelling to Syria from the UK were going “on their own conviction”. Friends of Abdullah, who also has a younger brother and an older sister, reacted with shock at the news, with several posting messages on Facebook and Twitter. Ms Amani said that Abdullah had been a "charming, and very spirited" boy who had never appeared have been overtly "political".
He said: “Obviously the British government is concerned about terrorism and people learning how to use weapons, but why don't they ever think of it in a positive way? Maybe one day these youngsters will fight for a British government.” "The twins were really into exercise, and bodybuilding, and eating healthily," she said. "I remember they didn't want to eat any chocolate, they were so worried about their diet…He wasn't really a political boy. The twins were always very cheeky….I was really shocked [to hear they had gone to Syria]. He was really fun-loving, social, he had lots of friends."
He added that his sons had previously been in trouble with police but they were not involved in any groups encouraging people in the UK to fight in Syria. She said that Abdullah's brother Amer, who was the first of the brothers to fight in Syria, had first gone to Turkey with an aid convoy in September. "Amer was really into his gym and building his muscles. The next thing I knew he was getting involved in serious stuff in Syria."
Earlier Mr Deghayes said he initially believed Abdullah, who lived with his mother in the seaside town, had travelled to Libya to see family. Amer is understood to have suffered a bullet wound in the stomach in the same battle I which Abdullah was killed. Although the brothers were said to have been in touch with their parents via Facebook, his current condition was not clear yesterday, but their father said that the youngest brother fighting in Syria, 16-year-old Jaffar, was "ok".
“We are all in mourning,” he said. In total, it is believed that 400 British nationals have travelled to Syria since conflict broke out in early 2011, and of these 400, it is estimated 20 have died so far.
“I'm trying to find out what's happened. Omar Deghayes, who is currently in Tripoli, said he had only heard one eyewitness account of what happened to Abdullah.
"At the moment we don't have any details. We found out on Facebook.
“I hope he died for a noble cause, trying to help Syria. I need to find out. I might go and travel to see.
"He was a youngster who didn't communicate a lot. With parents, once they grow, they don't tell you much about their lives."
The teenager’s uncle Omar Deghayes, who is currently in Tripoli, said he had only heard one eyewitness account of what happened to Abdullah.
He said: "Abdullah Deghayes was a young man full of life, he had a bright future ahead, he was just like any 18-year-old, but his heart was different.He said: "Abdullah Deghayes was a young man full of life, he had a bright future ahead, he was just like any 18-year-old, but his heart was different.
“He couldn't sit still watching the news of the gross injustice taking place in Syria. "He couldn't sit still watching the news of the gross injustice taking place in Syria.
"For Abdullah it was not enough to just donate money or baby milk, he felt he needed to do more. The Foreign Secretary William Hague yesterday reiterated warnings to British citizens not to travel to Syria and said fighters returning to the UK were an "increasing threat to our own national security".
“Abdullah was a family man, and was dearly loved by everyone especially the children of the family, very kind and caring. "Where we are aware of people proposing to travel to Syria we can take action about it, including depriving people of their passports, including if they are people who are resident in the UK but not British nationals, the Home Secretary can cancel their leave to remain in the UK," he said.
"He packed and flew without consulting the family or leaving any choice, to receive the news about how he sacrificed his life in defence for children at the age of his one-year-old sister.
“Abdullah's twin brother Abdur-Rahman received it the hardest, he has been crying so much.... and it's not like him to isolate himself and cry. Abdullah paid his life, he had everything a young man could want in life, but he cared. Our hearts will ache for him forever.”
A spokeswoman for the Foreign Office said: “We are aware of the death of a British national and are urgently looking in to it.”
Police were informed of his death at the start of this week and are supporting his family.
A spokesman for Sussex Police said: “On Monday 14 April we received information that an 18-year-old Brighton man had been killed in Syria in recent weeks.
"The circumstances of this reported death remain unclear and we are in contact with the family."
Around 400 Britons are believed to have gone to Syria over the last two years, authorities believe, with an estimated 20 having died.
Counter-terrorism investigators have expressed concern in recent months about aspiring British jihadis travelling to the country and becoming radicalised.
In January alone, 16 people were arrested on suspicion of terrorism offences related to Syria compared with 24 arrests in the whole of last year.
MI5 director-general Andrew Parker told MPs last year that the civil war has been a magnet for hundreds of British nationals looking for the opportunity for "jihadi" activity, many of whom have come into contact with al-Qa'ida-supporting groups before returning to the UK. It is believed around 250 of the 400 who went to Syria have now returned.
Those who have died include one man suspected of carrying out a suicide attack.
Additional reporting by agencies