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| 'Syria-bound' London girls: Please come home, families plead | 'Syria-bound' London girls: Please come home, families plead |
| (35 minutes later) | |
| Relatives of the three missing London girls believed to be heading to Syria have pleaded for them to come home. | Relatives of the three missing London girls believed to be heading to Syria have pleaded for them to come home. |
| Shamima Begum, 15, Kadiza Sultana, 16, and an unnamed 15-year-old friend travelled to Turkey on Tuesday. It is feared they may be planning to join Islamic State extremists in Syria. | Shamima Begum, 15, Kadiza Sultana, 16, and an unnamed 15-year-old friend travelled to Turkey on Tuesday. It is feared they may be planning to join Islamic State extremists in Syria. |
| Shamima's family said they understood she wanted to help those suffering but said Syria was "a dangerous place". | Shamima's family said they understood she wanted to help those suffering but said Syria was "a dangerous place". |
| Kadiza's family said they were "feeling completely distressed". | Kadiza's family said they were "feeling completely distressed". |
| Meanwhile the family of a Glasgow woman now living in Syria, who reportedly contacted at least one of the girls on social media, said they were "full of horror and anger" that their daughter may have helped recruit the girls. | Meanwhile the family of a Glasgow woman now living in Syria, who reportedly contacted at least one of the girls on social media, said they were "full of horror and anger" that their daughter may have helped recruit the girls. |
| In a statement released through their lawyer, the family of Aqsa Mahmood told her: "You are a disgrace to your family and the people of Scotland, your actions are a perverted and evil distortion of Islam." | In a statement released through their lawyer, the family of Aqsa Mahmood told her: "You are a disgrace to your family and the people of Scotland, your actions are a perverted and evil distortion of Islam." |
| 'Complete nightmare' | 'Complete nightmare' |
| The four London girls, who all attended Bethnal Green Academy in Tower Hamlets, flew from Gatwick to Turkey on Tuesday after telling their parents they were going out for the day. | The four London girls, who all attended Bethnal Green Academy in Tower Hamlets, flew from Gatwick to Turkey on Tuesday after telling their parents they were going out for the day. |
| Police said the girls had been interviewed by officers after another girl from their school went to Syria in December, but nothing had indicated they were at risk and their disappearance had come as a great surprise. | Police said the girls had been interviewed by officers after another girl from their school went to Syria in December, but nothing had indicated they were at risk and their disappearance had come as a great surprise. |
| In a statement, Shamima's family said: "We miss you terribly and are extremely worried about you. | In a statement, Shamima's family said: "We miss you terribly and are extremely worried about you. |
| "Syria is a dangerous place and we don't want you to go there. Get in touch with the police and they will help to bring you home. | "Syria is a dangerous place and we don't want you to go there. Get in touch with the police and they will help to bring you home. |
| Police have issued a description of the three girls: | |
| "We understand that you have strong feelings and want to help those you believe are suffering in Syria. | "We understand that you have strong feelings and want to help those you believe are suffering in Syria. |
| "You can help from home, you don't have to put yourself in danger. Please don't cross the border." | "You can help from home, you don't have to put yourself in danger. Please don't cross the border." |
| Kadiza's family said: "In your absence, we, as a family, are feeling completely distressed and cannot make sense of why you left home. | Kadiza's family said: "In your absence, we, as a family, are feeling completely distressed and cannot make sense of why you left home. |
| "Due to the speculation that you may be travelling towards Syria, we are extremely worried about your safety." | "Due to the speculation that you may be travelling towards Syria, we are extremely worried about your safety." |
| The family said they were praying the girls would make contact. | The family said they were praying the girls would make contact. |
| "We all love you dearly and the last four days have been a complete nightmare not knowing where you are and how you are keeping. | "We all love you dearly and the last four days have been a complete nightmare not knowing where you are and how you are keeping. |
| "We would like to emphasise that we are not angry with you and you have not done anything wrong. We just want you all to return home, safe and sound." | "We would like to emphasise that we are not angry with you and you have not done anything wrong. We just want you all to return home, safe and sound." |
| 'More robust' | |
| A friend who went to the same school as the girls, Atlanta Broadbent, told ITV News the girls had been "determined in what they want to do". | |
| The 16-year-old said: "You couldn't argue with what they were saying. | |
| "They were that smart they could just make something up on the spot. They were just really hard working, I wouldn't think something like this would happen." | |
| Earlier, David Cameron said the fight against Islamist extremist terror was "not just one that we can wage by the police and border control". | |
| "It needs every school, every university, every college, every community to recognise they have a role to play. | "It needs every school, every university, every college, every community to recognise they have a role to play. |
| "We all have a role to play in stopping people from having their minds poisoned by this appalling death cult." | "We all have a role to play in stopping people from having their minds poisoned by this appalling death cult." |
| Commons Home Affairs Committee chairman Keith Vaz said exit checks must be "more robust in the future" and there needed to be "much closer co-operation" with Turkey in tackling the problem of people travelling through the country to Syria and Iraq. | |
| Aqsa Mahmood travelled from her home in Glasgow to Syria in November 2013 to marry an IS fighter. | Aqsa Mahmood travelled from her home in Glasgow to Syria in November 2013 to marry an IS fighter. |
| In a statement her family also said the UK's security services had "serious questions to answer". | In a statement her family also said the UK's security services had "serious questions to answer". |
| It said: "Aqsa's social media has been monitored since she disappeared over a year ago, yet despite alleged contact between the girls and Aqsa, they failed to stop them from leaving the UK to Turkey, a staging post for Syria. | It said: "Aqsa's social media has been monitored since she disappeared over a year ago, yet despite alleged contact between the girls and Aqsa, they failed to stop them from leaving the UK to Turkey, a staging post for Syria. |
| "Sadly, despite all the government's rhetoric on Isis, if they can't even take basic steps to stop children leaving to join Isis, what is the point of any new laws?" | "Sadly, despite all the government's rhetoric on Isis, if they can't even take basic steps to stop children leaving to join Isis, what is the point of any new laws?" |
| The family also sent a message directly to Aqsa in which they said: "You are killing your family every day with your actions, they are begging you stop if you ever loved them." | The family also sent a message directly to Aqsa in which they said: "You are killing your family every day with your actions, they are begging you stop if you ever loved them." |