Chechen mother kidnaps Dutch children and flees to Syria to join Isis

The head teacher of the children’s Islamic school alerted the father after his ex-wife printed plane tickets for herself and their children

Islamic State fighters in Raqqa (AP) (AP)

A Chechen mother has taken her two young children to Syria to join Isis, Dutch prosecutors have said.

The woman’s ex-husband and father of her children, along with Dutch authorities, were unable to prevent the 33-year-old from leaving the country.

The mother, who has not been identified, is from Chechnya. Her two Dutch-born children, identified as Luca, aged 8 and Aysha, aged 7, had been living in the southern town of Maastricht but had not been seen since 29 October last year.

The head teacher of the children’s Islamic school alerted the father after his ex-wife printed plane tickets to Greece for herself and their children. They are now thought to be in Raqqa, the Isis stronghold in north-eastern Syria.

According to Dutch newspaper De Limburger, the children’s father had previously reported his estranged wife to police over concerns she was planning to flee the country.

It is the first known case in the Netherlands of kidnapping by a lone parent to join Isis without the other’s consent.

Officials believe the family travelled across Europe using fake passports. Prosecutors who are investigating the case suspect the woman was aided by foreign recruiters, as she managed to dodge an international arrest warrant.

Dozens of families with children, as well as several minors travelling on their own, have left the Netherlands over the past two years to join Isis.

The Dutch Justice Ministry reported that a total of 180 Dutch jihadis are known to have left the Netherlands for Syria. Around 35 returned to Europe, while 21 have been killed in the civil war.

In Britain, three teenagers have been released on bail by counter-terrorism police after they were arrested in Turkey as they allegedly attempted to travel to Syria.

Around 600 Britons are believed to have travelled to Syria and Iraq since the conflict began, according to Scotland Yard assistant commissioner Mark Rowley, the national policing lead for counter-terrorism.

Additional reporting by Reuters