Schoolgirl arrested at Stansted airport returning from warzone
A British schoolgirl arrested yesterday by anti-terror police after she landed at Stansted Airport has been released on bail after being questioned overnight. Silhan Ozchelik was feared to have run away to Syria to fight against ISIS and was held upon her return to the UK yesterday.
Ms Ozcelik was 17 when she went missing in October. It was feared she had become the first UK female to join the war against the jihadis.
Her family said Silhan, now 18, was on a humanitarian mission.
If she's 18 she's not a schoolgirl. Though I suppose she could now be a co-ed... | The Kurdish teenager, from Highbury Corner, North London, left St Pancras International on the Eurostar before making her way to the warzone.
Counter-terror police arrested her at 4pm yesterday after she arrived on a flight. She was taken to a central London police station where she was questioned. She was released this evening on bail.
She has to return to a central London police station at a date in the middle of February.
The Home Office said police had been issued with guidance to be alert to any possible dangers adding: These are sensible precautions and are intended to underline existing protective security procedures and inform operational risk assessments.
Speaking yesterday, Britain's senior anti-terrorism policeman, assistant commissioner Mark Rowley said there were 327 arrests for terrorism offences in the UK last year - and increase of one-third on 2013.
Posted by: Fred 2015-01-18 |