Shamima Begum’s lawyer: she should return despite the ‘‘possibility’’ of being a threat to the national security

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Photo by Saul Bucio on Unsplash

Posted By: Voice of London 24 November 2020

Shamima Begum’s potential reinstatement to the UK increases the likelihood of terrorist attacks in the country, the Supreme Court heard yesterday.

As a response, her lawyer, Tasnime Akunjee, told Good Morning Britain (GMB) that there is always a possibility of risk with her arrival. 

He compared this case to the younger brother of Salman Abedi, who was responsible for the Manchester bombing attack in May 2017.

Akunjee said: ‘‘The British government spent a lot of time and effort securing Mr Abedi in Libya and extraditing him back to the UK, where he faced trial for 22 murders.

‘‘Should Shamima be returned to the UK, the Home Office would then add restrictions on her in order to mitigate any potential possible threat.’’ 

Macer Gifford, an Anti-ISIS campaigner, told GMB that the return of all ISIS volunteers to the UK ‘‘would slump MI5’’.

He said: ‘‘It would cost us millions of pounds to go through a whole judicial process, to go through protecting them, and changing their identity, until we finally set them free.

‘‘We’ve got to put the British public first on this one. Lives are at a stake.’’

Shamima Begum joined ISIS in February 2015. 

Last year, she was in a Syrian refugee camp, nine months pregnant. 

Begum now wants to have her British passport restored so that she can go back to the UK.

Her court trial started yesterday.

Twitter users expressed mixed emotions on the matter.

 

 

 

Words: Kristina Hristova | Subbing: Begum Kuruc

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