A British woman who travelled to Syria to join ISIS and is now paralysed could be allowed to return to the UK. The woman, who left Britain to support the terror group during the height of the conflict in Syria, is said to be seeking permission to come back after suffering serious injuries that left her unable to walk.
Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood had originally prevented the woman, known only as “Layla”, from returning to the UK. However, the Special Immigration Appeals Commission (SIAC) has now ruled that the Government acted unlawfully in the case for a second time. She is currently being held in a detention camp in northern Syria, where thousands of suspected ISIS members and their relatives remain after the collapse of the group’s so-called caliphate.
The Home Secretary has tried to block her return (Image: Getty)
She is cared for by her 10-year-old son after suffering her injuries in an airstrike.
As part of Layla’s case, former MI6 counter-terrorism director Richard Barrett told the court he believed she was unlikely to pose an “unmanageable threat to national security.”
The SIAC panel ruled the Government’s decision was “inadequately reasoned,” and a “more rigorous examination” would be required due to the “gravity of the consequences.”
“A fresh decision will need to be made,” Justice Karen Steyn wrote in the conclusion.
The case is expected to reignite debate over whether British citizens who travelled abroad to join extremist organisations should ever be allowed to return.
Layla travelled to Syria in 2014 with her husband, who is now presumed dead.
Successive UK governments have taken a hard line on the issue, warning that individuals who choose to support ISIS must face the consequences of their actions.
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A Home Office spokesman said: “We note the court’s decision on this case and are considering the judgment.
“The government will always take the strongest possible action to protect our national security and our priority remains maintaining the safety and security of our citizens.”
Security Minister Dan Jarvis recommended in July last year that the child should be repatriated, but stopped short of backing the mother’s return to the UK.
Yvette Cooper, who was Home Secretary at the time, said she would take a “precautionary” approach to the case because of the potential “national security risks”.
MI5 also assessed that Layla was aligned with ISIS and had willingly taken part in the original decision to travel to Syria.
Security experts warn the issue remains deeply sensitive, particularly given the role many foreign recruits played in supporting ISIS during the group’s brutal campaign across Iraq and Syria.
