Turkey has reportedly deported a British Labour councillor’s son after stopping him in Hatay province close to the Syrian border where he was ‘due to join ISIL.’
Waheed Ahmed, who hails from Rochdale in Manchester, was stopped by Turkish authorities on April the 1st as he tried to enter Syria along with 8 others.
The Labour MP for Rochdale, Simon Danczuk said Ahmed was scheduled to arrive at Birmingham airport today. However, the foreign office has said it will not comment on individual cases.
The Labour councillor, Shakil Ahmed said he was not aware his son was in Turkey and believed he was at a work placement in Birmingham. His home was searched earlier this month to see if there was any information as to why the 20 year old politics student would have traveled to Turkey.
The Greater Manchester police said there was no imminent threat to the Rochdale community or anywhere else in the UK when it comes to these nine individuals.
A friend of Waheel Ahmed said there had been some concerns over the last six months to a year over his behaviour that was causing concern for members of the community and his family.
Meanwhile Shakil Ahmed, the father of Waheel said, “I was shocked, worried and extremely upset to hear that my son has been arrested on the Turkey-Syria border. It’s a total mystery to me why he’s there, as I was under the impression he was on a work placement in Birmingham. My son is a good Muslim and his loyalties belong to Britain, so I don’t understand what he’s doing there.”
“If I thought for a second that he was in danger of being radicalised, I would have reported him to the authorities. He’s studying a degree in politics and sociology at Manchester University and has a good future ahead of him. I just want to speak to my son and get him home as soon as possible so I can find out what’s going on.”
Hundreds of British citizens have reportedly taken part in ISIL militancy in Syria over the past few years.
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