Shamima Begum
(Picture: PA Wire)Justin Trudeau has said he will “follow up” on claims a Canadian spy trafficked Shamima Begum into Syria and that British officials helped to cover it up.
The Canadian prime minister was responding to bombshell reports earlier this week claiming an intelligence agent smuggled Shamima Begum and her two friends into Syria.
Ms Begum left her east London home for Syria as a 15-year-old schoolgirl with Kadiza Sultana and Amira Abase to join the Islamic State group (IS) more than seven years ago.
They were allegedly helped to enter the country by a man called Mohammed al-Rashed, with a book claiming Rashed was also an informant for Canadian intelligence, who told the Met police of their association with him a few days after the girls had entered Syria.
Neither the British nor Canadian authorities have previously acknowledged the link, reported the Guardian.
Asked about the reports at a news conference, Mr Trudeau defended the needs for the country’s intelligence agency to be “flexible and creative”.
However, he added: “I know there are questions about certain incidents or operations of the past and we will ensure to follow up on those.
“We will continue to ensure that proper oversight is done and as necessary, look at further steps.”
The book, The Secret History of the Five Eyes by Richard Kerbaj, reports that two officials from the Canadian Security Intelligence Service met then Met head of counter-terrorism, Richard Walton, in March 2015, shortly after Begum’s disappearance.
They said they hoped that CSIS would not become a focus for investigation, according to Walton, promoting concern.
“If you are running agents you are acquiescing in what they are doing,” Walton said in a interview in the book, although he also added there may have been some intelligence benefit to the relationship.
In February 2019, Ms Begum was found, nine months pregnant, in a Syrian refugee camp. Her British citizenship was revoked on national security grounds shortly afterwards.
She challenged the Home Office's decision but the Supreme Court ruled that she was not allowed leave to enter the UK to pursue her appeal.
UK and Canadian intelligence officials have declined to comment on the claims, citing an inability to comment on operational matters.
