Jihadi bride ‘back on Twitter’ as IS spreads vile dogma
SCOTTISH jihadi bride Aqsa Mahmood could be accessing the internet from war-ravaged Syria.
A propaganda account in her name has been active during the past week.
The former Glasgow Caledonian University radiology student secretly travelled to Syria in 2013 and spread Islamic State (IS) postings using the Twitter name @UmmLayth_.
That account went silent three years ago. She then turned to other names and other social media but has not been heard of since 2015.
However, her family believe that her Twitter account is now being controlled by IS chiefs.
Aamer Anwar, the family’s lawyer, said: ‘Her family have just learned to live with the fact that she’s just one of the living dead, as far as they’re concerned.
‘Her family haven’t heard from her in a year and a half so there’s no way of knowing. They treat her as if she’s dead and are just waiting for that knock on the door.’
He added: ‘All of the Twitter accounts were controlled by IS. Why on earth would they allow a young woman seen as a trophy – a prime recruiter – go off and use her mobile phone?’
Privately educated Mahmood, now 23, was radicalised online. After arriving in Syria, she married a ‘jihadi fighter’ and told her devastated parents she wanted to become a martyr.
She is suspected of helping schoolgirls Amira Abase, Shamina Begum and Kadiza Sultana from Bethnal Green, London, join British ‘jihadis’ there.
In 2015, she was added to global terrorism sanctions lists.
Two weeks ago, the former £3,500a-term Craigholme girls’ school pupil was among 150 home grown jihadis to be stripped of their UK citizenship amid fears they would try to return to Britain.
Umm Layth is Mahmood’s adopted Islamic name. She had used the Twitter account to praise IS and call for extremists to launch attacks in Britain.
It is now showing as being active since July this year.
There are no new posts but it has ‘liked’ and followed UK-based groups promoting Salafism, a form of ultra-conservative Islam popular with new converts.
Mr Anwar said: ‘It has been suspected for a long time that Aqsa Mahmood would be posting things but that other people would also be posting for her.
‘The level of language would go up and down. Everything they were allowed to post would be controlled by a recruiter. They don’t get TV or to listen to music – why on earth would they get a mobile phone?
‘What if they wanted to say “I’m trapped, I want out, I want help?” They’re not going to allow that.’
He added: ‘The family have been torn to pieces – they are full of rage and anger at what she did. She let her family down, she let down her community and she let Scotland down. Sadly her grandfather died a couple of weeks ago – she was his favourite granddaughter – and he died a broken man.’
A New Scotland Yard spokesman said it was unable to comment.
‘Her family treat her as if she was dead’