Husband of Isis bride denied UK citizenship wants them to live together as a family

The husband of the teen who fled the UK to join Isis says he wants them to live together as a family.

Shamima Begum left her home in Bethnal Green, east London when she was just 15.

Now 19 Begum has had three children, after recently giving birth to her third child, a baby boy, while at a Syrian refugee camp.

Her Dutch husband, Islamic State fighter Yago Riedijk, 27, says he wants to return to the Netherlands with her and their newborn son.

Riedijk, who married Begum before her 16th birthday, is currently being held in a Kurdish-run detention centre in northern Syria.

Meanwhile Begum has pleaded to come back to the UK. It is believed that she is currently living in a refugee camp near the Iraqi border after her British citizenship was revoked on February 20 earlier this year.

Her wish to come home sparked intense debate, with many declaring Begum a brainwashed victim of grooming, while others insist she is a dangerous member of a terrorist organisation.

It is believed that Begum and Riedijk fled Baghouz, the group’s last foothold in eastern Syria, as its territory collapsed in recent months.

Riedijk, who is said to have rejected IS, was found in the detention centre by the BBC.

When asked if he thought marrying a girl of that age was acceptable, he said: “To be honest, when my friend came and said there was a girl who was interested in marriage, I wasn’t that interested because of her age, but I accepted the offer anyway.

“We sat down and she seemed in a good state of mind. It was her own choice, she was the one who asked to look for a partner for her.

“Then I was invited and yeah, she was very young and it might have been better for her to wait a bit. But she didn’t, she chose to get married and I chose to marry her.”

When denying her an easy route back to the UK, the Home Office pointed out that Begum has dual British-Bangladesh nationality due to her heritage.

That said, Bangladesh were quick to point out that she had never set foot in the country and she was by birth a British citizen.

Said Javid, Home Secretary, has said her newborn son has British citizenship and therefore could be be allowed into the UK without his Isis-sympathising mother.