‘Too soft’ social workers failed to spot Isis brothers were radicalised
TWO teenage brothers killed fighting in Syria converted to militant Islam under the noses of ‘soft’ social workers.
A report found that youth workers, council officials and police missed chances to stop members of the Deghayes family joining a group aligned to Al Qaeda.
They failed to spot Abdullah Deghayes, 18, and Jaffar, 17, were at risk of being radicalised before they went to the Middle East.
They were free to leave even after their older brother Amer, who became a poster boy for forces aligned to Islamic State, left the UK on an aid convoy.
The teenagers, whose uncle Omar received £1million compensation after being held in Guantanamo Bay for five years, were both killed in fighting in 2014.
Yesterday, a serious case review said officials missed signs of radicalisation despite monitoring the family for years.
The three brothers, and two other siblings, were notorious in Brighton where they were linked to a violent crime wave as well as burglary, theft and drug dealing.
Police did not share information on the boys as they suspected social workers were ‘too soft’ and because of secrecy around terrorrelated operations.
In 2007 Omar was released from Guantanamo Bay but his return to Brighton led to an angry backlash from residents, with their house attacked by a mob.
As boys, they showed disturbing signs of extremist beliefs. In 2010, officials drew up plans to protect them after they said their father made them get up at 4.30am to study the Koran. They told police of repeated physical abuse but no charges were brought when they withdrew their statements. In 2013, a school and youth worker also raised concerns that young people were converting to Islam helped by the brothers.
Edi Carmi, a child protection expert who wrote the report, said: ‘There was no recognition that any of the siblings were becoming vulnerable to being exploited into radicalisation.’