Turkey claims foreign spy 'helped British girls to Syria'

Amira Abase, Kadiza Sultana and Shamima Begum waught on CCTV at Gatwick airport on their way to Turkey last month (AP/Metropolitan Police)

A man has been arrested in Turkey for allegedly helping three British schoolgirls cross into Syria to join Isis militants, according to the country’s Foreign Minister, who accused him of being a foreign spy.

“It turned out to be someone who works for the intelligence of a country from the [US-led] coalition,” Mevlut Cavusoglu told broadcaster A Haber. The minister said he had shared the information with Foreign Secretary Philip Hammond.

Shamima Begum, 15, Kadiza Sultana, 16, and Amira Abase, 15, went missing after they boarded a flight from Gatwick to Istanbul last month. They are believed to have crossed into the Syrian city Raqqa, an Isis stronghold. Their families have been informed of the apparent arrest, a spokesperson for the Metropolitan Police confirmed.

A European security source familiar with the case of the three girls told Reuters that the person in question had a connection with the Canadian Security Intelligence Service (CSIS).

The spy agency did not respond to requests for comment.