‘Terror bride should not get back into UK’
Daughter of murdered aid worker speaks out
The daughter of a Perthshire aid worker killed by Islamic State has warned that terror bride Shamima Begum is a “ticking time bomb”.
Bethany Haines, whose dad David was beheaded by a terror cell dubbed ‘The Beatles’ in 2014, is convinced 20-year-old Begum still poses a risk.
It comes after it was confirmed Begum is being allowed to return to the UK as part of a battle to regain her lost British citizenship.
Bethany revealed she turned down an offer to meet Begum during a heartwrenching trip to Syria last year, which saw Bethany visit jihadi brides at a refugee camp to try to understand their mindset.
The 23-year-old said: “From what I gather, Begum still has a strong hatred of the UK. She’s a ticking time bomb.”
David Haines (44) was helping refugees in a camp near the Turkish border when he was captured in March 2013.
He was held for 18 months before being beheaded by Mohammed Emwazi – the Briton known as Jihadi John – in September 2014.
Isis used sickening footage of his killing as propaganda, along with the executions of British charity worker Alan Henning, US journalists James Foley and Steven Sotloff and American aid volunteer Peter Kassig.
Begum was 15 in 2015 when she fled east London with two school friends and headed to Syria.
She married Dutch terror fighter Yago Riedijk (23). They had two children, who died from malnutrition and disease.
Begum was stripped of her UK passport after she was found, nine months pregnant, in a Syrian refugee camp in February last year.
Her third child died of pneumonia, aged three months, in the Kurdish camp.
On Thursday, the Court of Appeal gave her the right to appeal the decision to revoke her citizenship and said she can return to the UK to fight the case.
It is feared the move could open the floodgates for other Isis brides to come back to Britain.
Bethany went to Syria with a film crew to visit key sites – including the spot where her dad’s executioner was killed in a drone strike in 2016.
She said: “I was nervous going to the camps because I knew I could potentially meet someone with strong ties and an allegiance to Isis but it was the right thing to do.
“I was given the opportunity to meet Begum but I firmly declined.
“In my opinion, she’s realised staying in camps isn’t an enjoyable experience and that the UK is the best option for her.
“She knew what she was getting herself into. She needs to live with the consequences.”
Bethany is campaigning for the UK Government to find David’s body and fly him home.
She claimed appeal court judges had treated “the perpetrator as a victim” and added: “This decision is against public safety and they don’t consider the impact of their decisions. They see it as a case number rather than real people.”
Bethany wants the United Nations to set up a court to try those charged with crimes under the caliphate.
From what I gather, Begum still has a strong hatred of the UK. She’s a ticking time bomb