'Syria-bound' teenagers were not radicalised at school, says principal

Bethnal Green academy head says police spoke to trio after friend absconded in December and there was no evidence they were at risk of them doing the same

 Police CCTV footage shows (from left) British teenagers Amira Abase, Kadiza Sultana and Shamina Begum at Gatwick airport last week. Photograph: AFP/Getty Images

Alexandra Topping, Aisha Gani and Peter Walker-Monday 23 February 2015

Airlines and internet companies need to do more to prevent radicalised British teenagers travelling to the Middle East to join Islamic State militants, David Cameron the prime minister has said.

Cameron told MPs he was “horrified” by the case of three London girls believed to be on their way to Syria to join IS after being indoctrinated by extremists online.

He announced that Theresa May, the home secretary, and Patrick McLoughlin, the transport secretary, would be talking with airlines on new “proportionate” arrangements to ensure that children who are at risk are properly identified and questioned. He added that border police should be alerted of any concerns so they can stop individuals from travelling.

Internet companies must live up to their “social responsibility”, Cameron said, by taking down extremist content and improving cooperation with the authorities over contacts between extremists and young people vulnerable to radicalisation.

The school attended by three teenage girls who are feared to have run away from London to join Islamic State militants in Syria has insisted they were not radicalised there.

Mark Keary, the principal of Bethnal Green academy in Tower Hamlets, said the school had an “outstanding system of pastoral care and personal support” and impressed on students the need to respect British values.

 The principal of Bethnal Green academy says there is no evidence that the three girls were radicalised at school
In the first statement by the school since it emerged that Amira Abase, 15, Shamina Begum, 15 and Kadiza Sultana, 16, had flown from Gatwick to Istanbul in Turkey, from where they are believed to be heading towards Isis-held territory, Keary said the east London school was “shocked and deeply saddened”.

He reiterated that police spoke to the trio after one of their friends, aged 15, made the same journey in December, and that officers were satisfied none of the girls had become radicalised.

In a statement released to reporters on Monday, Keary said: “The police spoke to that student’s friends at the time and, further to this, they indicated that there was no evidence that the girls were at risk of being radicalised or absconding.

“We are fully supporting the police with their investigations. As you know, today is the first day back following the half-term holiday and there is a full programme of briefing sessions and support available to students, parents and staff.”

Part of this, he said, would be “an opportunity for any concerned academy parents or carers to talk to senior staff members in person. Representatives from the police and Tower Hamlets’ Prevent team will also be in attendance.”

The principal said the school was “extremely proud of the exceptional learning experience we provide to our students”. He added: “A core aspect of our ethos is to promote the British values of democracy, tolerance and respect for other cultures, taught through a wide variety of curriculum topics and learning programmes.”

As well as having an “outstanding system of pastoral care and personal support”, students were not able to use Twitter or Facebook on school computers. Keary said: “With such measures in place, police have advised us that there is no evidence that radicalisation of the missing students took place at the academy.”

Police had, he said, asked the school not to make any further comment given the active investigation.

He added: “On behalf of the trust, all staff and governors at Bethnal Green academy, I would like to say once again that our thoughts are with the families of the missing girls as we await news and hope for their safe return to their homes and families.”

The Metropolitan police confirmed on Monday that they had officers in Turkey, while declining to confirm that they were involved in looking for the girls. A spokesman said: “Officers are working closely with the Turkish authorities who are providing a great deal of assistance and support to our investigation.”

schoolfriend of three missing teenagers who are thought to have travelled to Syria to join Isis says she never heard them discuss their plans
Earlier, students and parents at the school expressed shock at the news. Parents received a letter on Friday from the east London school, which has been rated outstanding by Ofsted, telling them what had happened and assuring them it was doing everything possible to tackle the situation.

Parents and pupils were hurried through the school gates on Monday morning while police in high-vis clothing kept guard.

A parent of two daughters in year nine said the girls’ disappearance had had a damaging impact on the community. “The girls feel terrible. Parents aren’t letting their kids out. It’s devastating.” 

A mother of another student said: “It is so unexpected, it’s really sad I can’t imagine what the families of those girls are going through. As a mum I really feel for them. This is the type of thing you read about but you can’t imagine it is happening at your school.”

One sixth-form student, who asked not to be named, said he had never heard the subject of joining Isis talked about among pupils at the school.

“I’m a Muslim, my friends are Muslims [but] people don’t really talk about that stuff,” he said. “It’s not like school’s full of girls talking about going to join Isis.”

He did not know the missing girls, but added that “everyone” was talking about it. Another young man, who gave his name as Mohammed, said: “It’s crazy. I was proper shocked. People don’t really expect to go on holiday then come back and find out that all these girls have gone to Syria.”

Another parent, who also did not want to be named, defended the school. “It is a fantastic school. I’ve seen derogatory comments about the school but this is not their fault,” he said. “What has happened is terrible but I know the school will be working hard – they are very proactive.

“I don’t understand, knowing the kids here, knowing this school – it doesn’t make sense.”

Dr Muhammad Abdul Bari, the trustee of the East London mosque in Whitechapel and a former teacher in the borough, said there was a sense of shock in the Tower Hamlets community.

“It’s every parent’s nightmare that their teenage children would go like this – disappear from their parents, families and schools. They are very intelligent girls and they had the ability to hide,” he said.

“They hid their intentions from everyone and the only thing we know is one girl had a connection with Aqsa Mahmood from Scotland. They were definitely convinced by the slick [Isis] media. I think it was online radicalisation.”

Bari said he objected to the use of the phrase “jihadi brides”. He said: “It’s a misogynistic word. These girls, like young boys, have probably gone for idealistic reasons.”