...
By Polly Mosendz
Reporter
0
Share
Newsweek is a Trust Project member
See more of our trusted coverage when you search.Prefer Newsweek on Googleto see more of our trusted coverage when you search.
British sisters Khadija, Sugra and Zohra Dawood are suspected of traveling to Syria with their children. The family was on a religious pilgrimage to Saudi Arabia when they went missing. They were set to return to the United Kingdom on June 11, but authorities determined they boarded a flight to Turkey on June 9. Turkey is a common entry point into Syria.
The husbands of the sisters last spoke to their children on June 8, just hours before the women traveled to Turkey with their children. During a phone call between one of the fathers and his child, he said the children sounded enthusiastic about coming home. There was no obvious indication that the women were planning to take the children to Syria. The children range between 3 and 15 years old.
The brother of the three women has repeatedly lived in Syria since 2014 and is an extremist. It is unclear if he was involved in the family's travel plans.
Read More on World
Authorities and relatives have been unable to reach anyone in the group believed to be in Syria. Their cellphones have been deactivated, and their social media profiles have not been updated.
"As time passes, they are growing more and more concerned," an attorney for the husbands told the BBC. "[There was] no indication that they had been radicalized. The family was non-political. They follow the moderate version of Islam. There was no indication of anything."
West Yorkshire Police are working with a counterterrorism unit and Turkish authorities to track the family.
Earlier this year, British authorities were faced with a similar case, in which three teenagers traveled from London to Turkey and then crossed into Syria. Though British authorities worked with Turks to investigate the matter, the girls were not found.
View 0 Comments
Submit Correction
View Editorial & AI Guidelines