Shamima Begum, a UK-born woman who went to Syria as a schoolgirl along with two other girls to join the Daesh terror group was smuggled into the Arab country by an intelligence agent for Canada while the UK conspired with Ottawa to cover up her disappearance, according to a new book and several British media outlets, TRT reported.
Scotland Yard [London police] knew the teenagers were trafficked into Syria by a people-smuggler who was a double agent working for Daesh as well as the Canadian intelligence, British newspaper The Times reported on Tuesday, citing the upcoming book The Secret History of The Five Eyes by Richard Kerbaj.
"Canada knew about the teenagers' fate but kept silent while the Metropolitan Police ran a frantic, international search for the trio," the paper said.
"Canada privately admitted its involvement only when it feared being exposed, and then successfully asked the British to cover up its role."
Begum along with Kadiza Sultana, 16, and Amira Abase, 15, left London in 2015 and were reportedly taken by the spy for Canada Mohammed Al Rasheed to the Daesh-controlled areas of Syria.
Ottawa continued to remain tight-lipped, but when Türkiye arrested Rasheed, it privately told the UK, the book and newspaper reports say.
Before becoming Canada's spy, Rasheed had reportedly traveled to Jordan where he met officials at the Canadian embassy and sought asylum in Canada. The book claims Rasheed, a human trafficker, was instead recruited and told to collect intelligence on Daesh.
RHM/PR