Ex counter terror chief: Shamima Begum should be treated as a terrorist not a ...

Ex counter terror chief: Shamima Begum should be treated as a terrorist not a ...
Ex counter terror chief: Shamima Begum should be treated as a terrorist not a ...

Shamima Begum is a threat to the UK and must stop being treated 'like a lost gap year student', a former counterterrorism chief has warned. 

Richard Walton, who was head of Counterterrorism at the Metropolitan Police between 2011 and 2016, said Thursday that the 22-year-old must be treated 'like the terrorist she is'.

It comes after the Londoner, from Bethnal Green, donned western-style clothing for an interview with Good Morning Britain from a Syrian refugee camp yesterday, where she begged the UK for forgiveness and claimed she was a victim - not a terrorist or a criminal.

But Mr Walton, who spent the majority of his 30-year policing career in counter terrorism, said Sajid Javid made a decision while acting as Home Secretary to remove Begum's citizenship and that call 'must be respected'. 

Richard Walton (pictured), who was head of Counterterrorism at the Metropolitan Police between 2011 and 2016, said Thursday that 22-year-old Shamima Begum must be treated 'like the terrorist she is'

Richard Walton (pictured), who was head of Counterterrorism at the Metropolitan Police between 2011 and 2016, said Thursday that 22-year-old Shamima Begum must be treated 'like the terrorist she is'

Mr Walton (pictured) is currently Director of Counter Terrorism Global Ltd, a company that advises governments, private corporations and NGOs on how to counter terrorism and extremism

Mr Walton (pictured) is currently Director of Counter Terrorism Global Ltd, a company that advises governments, private corporations and NGOs on how to counter terrorism and extremism

'Is she going on Love Island?' Shamima Begum shows off her highlights, manicure, Nike cap and tank top from refugee camp - as GMB viewers say she 'looks like she's had a spa day' 

Shamima Begum (pictured), 22, donned a full face of makeup and fresh manicure for her interview with Good Morning Britain today

Shamima Begum (pictured), 22, donned a full face of makeup and fresh manicure for her interview with Good Morning Britain today

Shamima Begum has been through a 'major glow up' that puts her on a level with the contestants of Love Island, according to reaction on social media.

The British-born Isis bride, 22, donned a full face of makeup and fresh manicure for her interview with Good Morning Britain today.

And viewers were quick to take to Twitter to praise Begum's westernised appearance, with one suggesting she should apply to be on next year's series of the popular dating show Love Island. 

Begum opted for a casual look for her television appearance, wearing a vest top, black jeans and trainers, with a Nike cap covering her freshly dyed auburn tresses.

Her appearance was a far cry from the full burkha and no-makeup look worn for previous interviews - and viewers were quick to point out the Syrian refugee camp where Begum is living must have a stylist. 

She has denied her image change is a publicity stunt and GMB viewers celebrated Begum's new look online following the interview.

One said: 'Shamima Begum has had a major glow up. I bet she’s on Love Island next year.' Another added: 'Shamima Begum on GMB wearing a Nike baseball cap from their newest line. They got an outlet store in the prison camp?'

Advertisement

He told GB News: 'She’s being treated as if she’s a gap year student lost on a beach in Thailand when in fact she’s admitted to terrorist offences, even in the interview she gave yesterday.  

'She said that she had joined islamic state, that is a proscribed organisation, and if you join a proscribed terrorist organisation then you’ve committed a terrorist offence.

'So she should be treated as a terrorist and not a lost gap year student.'

Mr Walton is currently Director of Counter Terrorism Global Ltd, a company that advises governments, private corporations and NGOs on how to counter terrorism and extremism. 

When asked by presenters Simon McCoy and Kirsty Gallacher if Begum should be brought back to stand trial, he simply said 'no'. 

He said: 'The decision of the home secretary Sajid Javid was that she was a threat to our security here and he took a decision to deprive her of her British citizenship, which is not an automatic right and he took that decision based on a wealth of information he had before him which included intelligence from our soldiers and intelligence officers from within Syria... and I think we should respect that decision.  

Mr Walton was Head of Counter Terrorism for London during the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee and London Olympic and Paralympic Games in 2012.

He said Thursday that the British public 'can discern for themselves' that Begum is a danger to the UK.

The terror expert warned that organisations such as Islamic State regularly use women to carry out attacks.  

He added: 'I think the British public are aware that she’s a threat and should not be allowed to have her British citizenship renewed and be brought back here at our expense.

'It’s also worth stressing that there have been a number of convictions recently in the UK of young women for terrorist offences, the most notable of which was Safaa Boular, an 18-year-old woman who was given a 13-year minimum term for plotting attacks in and around the British museum. 

'Only three years ago she was convicted... so it’s not the case that young women can’t commit terrorist attacks.

'Islamic State has encouraged women all over the world to commit terrorist acts and indeed enlisted women in their so-called caliphate to do all kinds of things that we would consider to be genocide or terrorism, so we really need to start treating her [Begum]  like a terrorist, which is what she is.' 

Shamima Begum, the east London schoolgirl who fled her home in 2015 to join the so-called Islamic State terror group in Syria, has asked the British people for forgiveness and said: 'The only crime I think I committed was being dumb enough to come to ISIS'

Shamima Begum, the east London schoolgirl who fled her home in 2015 to join the so-called Islamic State terror group in Syria, has asked the British people for forgiveness and said: 'The only crime I think I committed was being dumb enough to come to ISIS'

Shamima Begum no longer wears her niqab, now straightens her hair, paints her nails, with associates saying she now enjoys Zumba, listening to Shakira and watching Good Morning Britain, which she appeared on on Wednesday

Shamima Begum no longer wears her niqab, now straightens her hair, paints her nails, with associates saying she now enjoys Zumba, listening to Shakira and watching Good Morning Britain, which she appeared on on Wednesday

Shamima Begum no longer wears her niqab, now straightens her hair, paints her nails, with associates saying she now enjoys Zumba, listening to Shakira and watching Good Morning Britain, which she appeared on on Wednesday

Begum is banned from the UK and lost her passport after marrying a jihadi, with spy agencies denying her claims she was just a Raqqa housewife.

They instead believe she was a member of the terror group's feared 'morality police' and was even seen stitching suicide bombers into explosive vests and carrying a Kalashnikov. 

Health Secretary Sajid Javid, who revoked her British citizenship in 2019 on national security grounds when he was Home Secretary, hinted that Begum was lying about just being a 'mother and wife' when in Syria.

He said Wednesday: 'I won't go into details of the case, but what I will say is that you certainly haven't seen what I saw.' 

ISIS bride Begum on claims she aided terrorists, the decision to revoke her citizenship and being a victim herself

Shamima Begum was 15 when she ran away with two other schoolgirls to Syria to marry a Dutch jihadi in 2015. She is accused of trying to recruit others to join before she left - and doing evil jobs for ISIS

Shamima Begum was 15 when she ran away with two other schoolgirls to Syria to marry a Dutch jihadi in 2015. She is accused of trying to recruit others to join before she left - and doing evil jobs for ISIS

On claims she sewed jihadis into suicide vests

'I am willing to go to court and face the people who made these claims and refute these claims, because I know I did nothing in IS (so-called Islamic State) but be a mother and a wife.

'These claims are being made to make me look worse because the Government do not have anything on me. There is no evidence because nothing ever happened.' 

On asking for forgiveness 

'I know it's very hard for the British people to try and forgive me because they have lived in fear of IS and lost loved ones because of IS, but I also have lived in fear of IS and I also lost loved ones because of IS, so I can sympathise with them in that way.

'I know it is very hard for them to forgive me but I say from the bottom of my heart that I am so sorry if I ever offended anyone by coming here, if I ever offended anyone by the things I said.'

Message for the PM

'I think I could very much help you in your fight against terrorism because you clearly don't know what you're doing'.

She added: 'I want them (the British public) to see me as an asset rather than a threat to them.'

On why she went to Syria  

Begum said she came to Syria expecting simply to get married, have children and 'live a pure, Islamic life'.

'The reason I came to Syria was not for violent reasons.' She added: 'At the time I did not know it (so-called Islamic State) was a death cult, I thought it was an Islamic community I was joining.  I was being fed a lot of information on the internet by people.'  

On justifying  the Manchester Arena bombing

She said: 'I do not believe that one evil justifies another evil. I don't think that women and children should be killed for other people's motives and for other people's agendas.' 

'I did not know about the Manchester bombing when I was asked. I did not know that people were killed, I did not know that women and children were hurt because of it.'

Begum said it was 'not justifiable to

read more from dailymail.....

NEXT In news vacuum, rumours and concern swirl over Catherine mogaznewsen