The arrest of a man in Turkey for helping three British Muslim girls cross into Syria once again raises serious questions over the level of involvement of western countries and their allies with the group.

The arrested man is said to work for the intelligence agency of a country which is part of the coalition against Islamic State (IS).

It is thought Shamima Begum, Amira Abase, both 15, and Kadiza Sultana, 16, left the UK last month to join IS.

Although it is not known what country the arrested man is from, Turkey’s foreign minister, Mr Cavusoglu has confirmed he was not a national of the country he was working for, nor is he from the US or an EU member state.

IHRC has long believed that the lightning success of IS in Iraq and Syria owes much to the support it is receiving from the West and it’s allies. Today’s news of an arrest confirms this view.

IHRC chair Massoud Shadjareh said: “‎Instead of targeting the Muslim community for reasons for the girls’ eloping to Syria, the British government would be better advised to look amongst it’s own allies and intelligence agencies and failure of its police services.”

News of the arrest comes as the authorities are reeling from accusations that they did not do enough to prevent the girls eloping. The head of the Metropolitan police ‎apologised to the parents of the missing girls after they failed to receive a police letter intended for them. The families had complained after the letter – about a fellow school friend who went to Syria last year – was given to the girls instead of being sent directly to them.

Notes to editors

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