David Lammy: Shamima Begum Will Not Return to UK

January 10, 2025 TruthUSA

David Lammy emphasized that the UK will prioritize its own security interests when it comes to handling ISIS fighters, stating that “many of those in those camps are dangerous.”

Foreign Secretary David Lammy confirmed that Jihadi bride Shamima Begum will not be allowed to return to the UK.

Lammy made this declaration in response to President-elect Donald Trump’s incoming counterterrorism chief’s call for the UK to repatriate citizens who fought for ISIS and are currently imprisoned in Syria.

During an interview on ITV’s “Good Morning Britain,” Lammy stressed that the government would always prioritize British security interests and the safety of the population.

The foreign secretary stated, “Shamima Begum will not be coming back to the UK. It’s been decided by the courts. She is not a UK national.

“We will not be repatriating her to the UK. We are very clear about that. We will act in our security interests, and many of those in those camps are dangerous, are radicals.”

He further mentioned that if some did return to the UK, they “would have to be, frankly, jailed as soon as they arrived.”

The Syrian Democratic Forces allied with the West have been overseeing the detention of numerous foreign ISIS members, their spouses, and children in prison camps in northeast Syria.

National Security Priorities

In an earlier interview with The Times, Sebastian Gorka, who is set to take on the role of director of counterterrorism and deputy assistant to the president on Jan. 20, expressed his view on the UK repatriating its foreign fighters from Syria.

Gorka stated, “Any nation that wishes to be considered a serious ally and friend of the most powerful nation in the world should act in a manner that reflects that serious commitment.”

He added, “This applies even more to the UK, which holds a special place in President Trump’s heart, and we all hope to see the ‘special relationship’ fully restored,” Gorka continued.

Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer, when asked about the incoming White House official’s remarks, mentioned that decisions regarding individuals who traveled to Syria to join ISIS will be made on a case-by-case basis.

He told the BBC that the primary consideration will be “What is in our national security?”

In February 2023, Jonathan Hall, KC, the UK’s independent reviewer of terrorism legislation, estimated that approximately 900 UK-linked individuals had gone to Iraq or Syria to join ISIS, and of those who did not return, “only a fraction remain in prisons and camps.”

Hall indicated that while there are no official figures, he believes there are around 60 UK-linked children, along with a smaller number of women and an unknown number of men.

Jihadi Bride

Begum was only 15 when she left her home in east London in 2015 to travel to ISIS-controlled territory in Syria to marry Dutch jihadi Yago Riedijk, who later died along with the three children they had.

She was discovered in a Syrian camp in 2019.

Due to concerns about her posing a security threat, then-Home Secretary Sajid Javid revoked Begum’s citizenship, preventing her return to the UK.

At that time, the government clarified that their decision did not render her stateless, as she was a citizen of Bangladesh by descent.

Shamima Begum being interviewed by Sky News in northern Syria on Feb. 17, 2019. (Reuters) — Shamima Begum being interviewed by Sky News in northern Syria on Feb. 17, 2019. Reuters

After several unsuccessful legal challenges, including the last one in August, Begum’s lawyers at Birnberg Peirce Solicitors mentioned that they might pursue further legal avenues, including approaching the European Court of Human Rights in Strasbourg, France.

During the Court of Appeal hearing in February 2024, the judges unanimously upheld the lawfulness of the Home Office’s decision to revoke Begum’s British citizenship.

Lady Chief Justice Baroness Carr stated, “One could argue that the decision in Ms. Begum’s case was severe.

“It could also be argued that Ms. Begum is responsible for her own situation, but it is not for this court to agree or disagree with either perspective.

“The only task of the court was to determine whether the deprivation decision was illegal. Since it was not, Ms. Begum’s appeal has been dismissed.”

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