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Walthamstow family feared to be heading to Syria detained in Turkey Zahera Tariq: Walthamstow family feared to be heading to Syria detained in Turkey
(about 2 hours later)
A mother feared to have been planning to travel to Syria with her four children has been detained in Turkey. A mother feared to have been heading to war-torn Syria with her four children has been detained in Turkey.
Police were trying to trace a 33-year-old woman, her three young sons and daughter, after they were last seen at her home address in Walthamstow, east London, a week ago. Counter-terrorism officers launched an appeal for information after Zahera Tariq, 33, and her children, aged between four and 12, were last seen at her home address in Walthamstow, east London, in late August.
Today Scotland Yard said officers received confirmation from Turkish authorities that the mother had been detained in the country, along with the four children, who were all said to be “safe and well”. The operation came after a relative contacted the police to report they were missing.
Counter-terrorism officers launched an appeal for information about the family after a relative contacted police on Wednesday to report them missing. The Turkish authorities alerted Scotland Yard on Tuesday that the mother and her four children had been detained in the country. Police said they were all “safe and well”.
They were believed to have flown from London City Airport to Amsterdam on Tuesday. Officials believe they had travelled to Amsterdam from London City Airport on Tuesday, after detectives found the family had been captured on CCTV at the facility.
Detectives later found the family had been captured on CCTV at London City Airport prior to their flight to the Netherlands. The Met Police said in a statement: "Officers were concerned that the woman had been considering travelling to Syria with her four children.
The Met Police said in a statement: “Officers were concerned that the woman had been considering travelling to Syria with her four children. It went on: “Officers are liaising with the Turkish authorities and inquiries continue.”
“Today, Tuesday September 1, officers received confirmation from the Turkish authorities that the woman had been detained in Turkey, along with her four children, who are all said to be safe and well. Commander Richard Walton, from Scotland Yard's Counter Terrorism Command, thanked police counterparts in Turkey and the Netherlands, members of the public, and the media for helping with the appeal to track down the family.
“Officers are liaising with the Turkish authorities and inquiries continue.” The family's disappearance came after Scotland Yard recently confirmed that more than 40 women and girls are believed to have travelled to parts of Syria controlled by the so-called Islamic State from the UK in the last year.
Commander Richard Walton, from Scotland Yard's Counter Terrorism Command, thanked the public and media for helping with the appeal to locate the family. The authorities are attempting to stop Britons from using Turkey as a key transit point into Syria, as hundreds of Britons have headed to the conflict zone, where the so-called Islamic State has its defacto capital, Raqqa.
He said: “We had very real concerns that she may have been planning to travel with her children to Syria and she has now been detained with the children in Turkey.
“I would also like to thank our police counterparts in the Netherlands and Turkey, with whom we continue to have excellent working relationships.”
Several cases have emerged in which women and children from the UK are feared to have gone to parts of Syria controlled by the so-called Islamic State.
Scotland Yard recently confirmed that it believed more than 40 women and girls had travelled to Syria from Britain in the last year.
PA