Home Secretary Accused Of 'Human Fly-Tipping' Over Decision To Strip IS Teen's Citizenship

Shamima Begum left London for Syria to join IS in 2015 (Picture: PA).

Home Secretary Sajid Javid has been accused of "human fly-tipping" over the decision to revoke the British citizenship of runaway so-called Islamic State (IS) bride Shamima Begum.

The lawyer also claimed Ms Begum had been "groomed and radicalised" in the UK due to a failure by authorities to protect her from extremists. 

Ms Begum was one of three schoolgirls to leave Bethnal Green to join the terrorist group in 2015.

She was found at a Syrian refugee camp earlier this year.

Mr Javid cancelled the teenager's British citizenship in February, which is only legal under international law if the individual has a second one.

It was thought Ms Begum may have a claim in Bangladesh because of her family background, but Bangladeshi officials denied this.

Tasnime Akunjee, a lawyer representing the Begum family, called on the decision to be overturned and an apology to be offered.

He also accused Mr Javid of making the decision to further his "own personal political objective of being Prime Minister".

In a letter published by the Times, Mr Akunjee said: "Ms Begum was a pawn to your vanity. Her baby died."

Ms Begum, then heavily pregnant, was interviewed at the Al-Roj camp in northern Syria earlier this year and said she wished to return to the UK.

Mr Akunjee wrote she feared about the quality of healthcare which would be offered to the then unborn child given her first and second child had both died.

The baby, named Jarrah, was born on 16 February and died of pneumonia on 8 March, according to the letter.

The letter said Ms Begum has "never visited" Bangladesh and that Mr Javid took a "British problem and illegally dumped it on our innocent international neighbours", comparing the decision to "human fly-tipping".

In March, US-backed local forces announced IS and their self-proclaimed caliphate in Syria had been defeated.

The UK was the second largest contributor in a coalition of nations targeting IS fighters in the country.