1 Feb 2016

British mother who fled the UK to join Islamic State jailed

A British mother who took her child to Syria to join Islamic State fighters has been jailed for six years.

Tareena Shakil mugshot

Tareena Shakil, 26, left the UK in October 2014 telling her family she had booked a holiday and travelled to the militant group’s stronghold of Raqqa with her 14 month old son, despite describing the Syrian city as “the most dangerous place on earth”, Birmingham Crown Court was told.

She also allowed the toddler to be photographed wearing a balaclava bearing the Isis logo, next to an assault rifle.

She was convicted last Friday of being a member of Islamic State (IS) and encouraging terrorism on social media. She is thought to be the first woman to have gone on trial accused of joining the militants.

‘Abhorrent’

Sentencing her to six years in prison, Judge Melbourne Inman said she had told lie after lie about her actions.

“The most abhorrent photographs … were those taken of your son wearing a balaclava with an ISIS logo and specifically the photograph of your son, no more than a toddler, standing next to an AK-47 under a title which translated from the Arabic means ‘Father of the British Jihad,'” Inman said.

The court heard she had published statements and pictures on Twitter in support of IS, and the police uncovered a photograph showing her posing in Syria underneath an Isis flag.

“You were well aware that the future to which you had subjected your son was very likely to be indoctrination and thereafter life as a terrorist fighter.” Inman continued.

“You told your father you wanted to die as a martyr … no doubt because of your mindset you were embraced by Isis.”

“Your role [in Raqqa] would not be to fight but to be a wife and mother to produce the next generation of fighters.”

‘Change of heart’

Police remain unsure of why Shakil left Syria in January last year. She was arrested by counter-terrorism officers when she returned to Britain on Feb. 18 after landing at Heathrow Airport and her son was taken into care.

“However unclear the true picture is, I will assume in your favour that you decided to leave because you had a change of heart,” Inman said.

“That mitigation is very limited however because you pleaded not guilty and having seen you give evidence I saw no evidence of remorse about what you had done or done to your son.”

Security services estimate up to 800 people have travelled to Iraq and Syria, many to join Islamic State, and about half have returned home.