Trudeau promises follow-up on alleged spy involved in sending British teens to Syria

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau on Wednesday (August 31) promised a "follow-up" to allegations against a suspected Canadian intelligence spy who allegedly helped young British girls join the Islamic State group.

In 2015, 15-year-old Briton Shamima Begum and two of her friends traveled from London to Syria with the help of a suspected smuggler, recruited as an agent by the Canadian Security Intelligence Service (CSIS), reports the British daily The Times.

The British police then launched an extensive investigation to find the trio.

Asked about this, Justin Trudeau defended the need for intelligence services to be “flexible and creative in their approach, in their work” but they must comply with “strict rules, principles and values”.

“We expect these rules to be respected,” said Justin Trudeau, during a press briefing.

"I know that

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The Times article recounts the revelations of the new book by its former international security correspondent, Richard Kerbaj, "The Secret History of the Five Eyes", a network of collaboration in the intelligence which includes the UK, USA, Canada, Australia and New Zealand.

According to the article that cites the book, Canadian intelligence services recruited Mohammed al-Rashed as an agent after he presented himself at the Canadian embassy in Jordan to seek asylum there.

The man is said to have helped dozens of people to reach Syria while working for CSIS.

He was later arrested in Turkey with in his possession travel documents belonging to the three British teenage girls.

Shamima Begum, 23, is currently in a refugee camp in northern Syria, according to The Times.

The young woman, who married an Islamic State jihadist of Dutch origin and eight years her senior, was stripped of her British nationality in 2019 for national security reasons.

The British Supreme Court refused in 2021 the return of Shamima Begum to the United Kingdom.

His partner Kadiza Sultana is presumed dead in a Russian attack, while Amira Abase is missing.