An ISIS plot to lure a British schoolgirl to Syria and marry her off as a jihadi bride has been foiled after it was uncovered by the Mail.
Counter-terror officers swooped on the 16-year-old girl’s family home after the Mail passed on evidence she was planning to run away to Syria next week.
She was being lured by her older sister, who is today revealed as a prolific IS recruiter who fled her London home last year to be a jihadi bride.
The younger sister – a ‘friendly and innocent’ East London schoolgirl – had been planning to fly on Wednesday, straight after finishing her GCSEs.
After first flying to Switzerland, she was to travel on to Istanbul, across Turkey and to the Syrian border, where IS fighters would smuggle her over the border to marry a jihadi.
The plot had been laid out in extraordinary detail in secret online messages, with timings and prices planned for every train, flight and hotel she has to stay at on the way. But it was foiled when the older sister tried to persuade an undercover reporter from the Mail – posing online as a girl of the same age – to accompany the younger sister to Syria as a chaperone.
Last night, the Metropolitan Police said it was ‘grateful’ to the Mail and praised its journalists for uncovering the sickening plot and ensuring the girl’s safety.
Commander Richard Walton, of the Met’s Counter Terrorism Command, said: ‘Following an undercover investigation by the Daily Mail, we were made aware of a vulnerable young girl on Monday.
‘Officers acted promptly and were able to identify the girl concerned and preventative steps have now been taken. We are grateful for the detailed information the journalist was able and willing to give us.
‘It was obvious from the conversations we had that the safety of the girl was the priority for everyone concerned.’
Home Secretary Theresa May said: ‘This Daily Mail investigation shows the seriousness of the threat we face from IS. The police and security services are working hard every day to keep our country safe.
‘But it is up to all of us to stand united against extremism and stop young and vulnerable people from being drawn into this kind of trouble.’
