Bangladesh denies entry to jihadi bride who left UK for Syria

● Teenager tells of her shock at Home Office decision to strip citizenship

Islamic State bride Shamima Begum, who fled to Syria aged 15, is not a Bangladeshi citizen and will be barred from entering the country, its foreign ministry has said.

The 19-year-old from London said she wanted to return to the UK with her newborn baby, with the end of the socalled caliphate in Syria within sight.

But Home Secretary Sajid Javid revoked her British citizenship in a move only permissible under international law if it does not leave the individual stateless.

There had been speculation that Ms Begum, who is of Bangladeshi heritage, may have citizenship there but its minister of state for foreign affairs Shahriar Alam denied this yesterday.

A statement tweeted by the minister said: “The government of Bangladesh is deeply concerned that she has been erroneously identified as a holder of dual citizenship shared with Bangladesh alongside her birthplace, the United Kingdom.

“Bangladesh asserts that Ms Shamima Begum is not a Bangladeshi citizen. She is a British citizen by birth and has never applied for dual nationality with Bangladesh.

“It may also be mentioned that she never visited Bangladesh in the past despite her parental lineage.

“So, there is no question of

0 Shamima Begum says losing her citizenship is ‘a bit upsetting’

her being allowed to enter into Bangladesh.”

The statement said Dhaka had only been made aware of the situation by the media.

Her family’s lawyer Tasnime Akunjee had earlier said she was born in the UK, has never had a Bangladeshi passport and is not a dual citizen.

She was one of three schoolgirls to leave Bethnal Green to join the terror cult in 2015 and resurfaced heavily pregnant at a Syrian refugee camp last week.

Yesterday, she was shown a copy of the Home Office letter

that announced her British citizenship would be stripped.

She told ITV News: “I don’t know what to say. I am not that shocked but I am a bit shocked.

“It’s a bit upsetting and frustrating. I feel like it’s a bit unjust on me and my son.”

She went on to say she may try for citizenship in the Netherlands, where her husband is from.

Figures for 2017 show that 104 people were deprived of their British citizenship, up from 14 the previous year.