The role of British female jihadists in inciting terrorism in the UK
has been uncovered by the International Centre for the Study of
Radicalisation (ICSR) at King's College London, which has identified a
group of around 30 female Britons based in northern Syria.
According to intensive monitoring of their social media accounts, a number have been masquerading as Isis recruiters or openly praising the Charlie Hebdo shootings, while encouraging more bloodshed, including the beheading of Westerners.
Until now, the Western women joining Isis have largely been portrayed as passive - travelling to marry jihadists and bear their children away from the frontline. But as police across Britain prepare for possible attacks against them and with Europe on high alert after arrests of suspected Islamist militants in Belgium, France and Germany, the centre's work shows many such women are part of the escalating threat.
A soldier patrols at Roissy Charles de Gaulle airport, north of Paris, as France maintains high security. Photo / AP
Melanie Smith, research fellow at the centre, said: "British women tend to incite [attacks], they say to people that can't move to the Islamic State: 'Why not carry out something at home?' That's a common message: if you can't leave your family behind or afford to move to Syria then carry out something."
Information from the database, which has details of 70 women,
the youngest a French 15-year-old, suggests the portrayal of women as
merely providing support and children for male fighters is becoming
increasingly outdated.
Smith said: "I don't think anyone talks about women returning as a risk. While they might not have the same kind of military training, you can see a lot of the women online being frustrated about the fact they can't fight and they suggest to each other that they could do something else. Women historically have been used in suicide bombings and singular operations."
The centre, which is run by Professor Peter Neumann, observed a spike in social media activity after the Paris shootings, with researchers identifying a number of British women praising the attacks. Among them was a 16-year-old from Manchester who celebrated the shootings on Twitter, while another greeted the Charlie Hebdo shootings by saying: "May Allah help them kill as many kafirs they can #parisshooting."
Another potential name to be added to the database is Hayat Boumeddiene, partner of one of the Paris attackers, Amedy Coulibaly, and France's most wanted woman.
Prime Minister David Cameron, while in Washington on a two-day trip, told CBS Britain now faced a "very severe threat", adding that an attack was "highly likely". While he insisted he and President Barack Obama had made significant progress in talks on how to counter international terrorism, he acknowledged that it would be a long struggle.
"I think the reason some people are concerned about this strategy is that perhaps we haven't said enough about how long it is going to take to work. It is going to take a very long time to deal with this," he said, because the answer lay in having strong governments and security forces in both Iraq and Syria.
Key security developments
Britain
British Foreign Secretary Philip Hammond and US Secretary of State John Kerry will host a meeting in London on Thursday of members of the coalition against Isis (Islamic State). The one-day talks will involve foreign ministers from about 20 countries, including Arab states, to discuss progress so far on tackling the Islamist militants who occupy swathes of territory in Iraq and Syria. A British official confirmed the meeting will take place at Lancaster House in central London, a fortnight after the deadly attacks in Paris. Discussions will focus on five areas - foreign fighters, the military campaign against Isis, its sources of finances, communications and humanitarian assistance.
Belgium
Soldiers fanned out to guard possible terror targets in Belgium. For the first time in three decades, authorities used paratroopers to reinforce police in Belgium's cities, guarding buildings within the Jewish quarter of the port city of Antwerp and some Belgian embassies. The move came a day after anti-terror raids netted dozens of suspects across Western Europe and increased anxiety across big swathes of the region.
Greece
Police detained at least two suspects as part of a widening counterterrorism dragnet across the continent. A Greek police official said four terrorism suspects had been arrested separately in Athens and included a man who had matched the description of the suspect Belgian authorities believe was behind the jihadi cell that was dismantled in Belgium. But a federal magistrate said the information they received showed there was no link.
France
One of the terrorists behind last week's attacks in Paris, Said Kouachi, was given a secret burial as authorities sought to head off glorification of terrorism and civil unrest. After an initial refusal to provide a burial place for Kouachi, the Mayor of Reims, Arnaud Robinet, said he was forced to backtrack. Government had insisted he allow the elder brother to be buried in Reims because according to law residents of a town have the right to be buried there.
According to intensive monitoring of their social media accounts, a number have been masquerading as Isis recruiters or openly praising the Charlie Hebdo shootings, while encouraging more bloodshed, including the beheading of Westerners.
Until now, the Western women joining Isis have largely been portrayed as passive - travelling to marry jihadists and bear their children away from the frontline. But as police across Britain prepare for possible attacks against them and with Europe on high alert after arrests of suspected Islamist militants in Belgium, France and Germany, the centre's work shows many such women are part of the escalating threat.
Melanie Smith, research fellow at the centre, said: "British women tend to incite [attacks], they say to people that can't move to the Islamic State: 'Why not carry out something at home?' That's a common message: if you can't leave your family behind or afford to move to Syria then carry out something."
Smith said: "I don't think anyone talks about women returning as a risk. While they might not have the same kind of military training, you can see a lot of the women online being frustrated about the fact they can't fight and they suggest to each other that they could do something else. Women historically have been used in suicide bombings and singular operations."
The centre, which is run by Professor Peter Neumann, observed a spike in social media activity after the Paris shootings, with researchers identifying a number of British women praising the attacks. Among them was a 16-year-old from Manchester who celebrated the shootings on Twitter, while another greeted the Charlie Hebdo shootings by saying: "May Allah help them kill as many kafirs they can #parisshooting."
Another potential name to be added to the database is Hayat Boumeddiene, partner of one of the Paris attackers, Amedy Coulibaly, and France's most wanted woman.
Prime Minister David Cameron, while in Washington on a two-day trip, told CBS Britain now faced a "very severe threat", adding that an attack was "highly likely". While he insisted he and President Barack Obama had made significant progress in talks on how to counter international terrorism, he acknowledged that it would be a long struggle.
"I think the reason some people are concerned about this strategy is that perhaps we haven't said enough about how long it is going to take to work. It is going to take a very long time to deal with this," he said, because the answer lay in having strong governments and security forces in both Iraq and Syria.
Key security developments
Britain
British Foreign Secretary Philip Hammond and US Secretary of State John Kerry will host a meeting in London on Thursday of members of the coalition against Isis (Islamic State). The one-day talks will involve foreign ministers from about 20 countries, including Arab states, to discuss progress so far on tackling the Islamist militants who occupy swathes of territory in Iraq and Syria. A British official confirmed the meeting will take place at Lancaster House in central London, a fortnight after the deadly attacks in Paris. Discussions will focus on five areas - foreign fighters, the military campaign against Isis, its sources of finances, communications and humanitarian assistance.
Belgium
Soldiers fanned out to guard possible terror targets in Belgium. For the first time in three decades, authorities used paratroopers to reinforce police in Belgium's cities, guarding buildings within the Jewish quarter of the port city of Antwerp and some Belgian embassies. The move came a day after anti-terror raids netted dozens of suspects across Western Europe and increased anxiety across big swathes of the region.
Greece
Police detained at least two suspects as part of a widening counterterrorism dragnet across the continent. A Greek police official said four terrorism suspects had been arrested separately in Athens and included a man who had matched the description of the suspect Belgian authorities believe was behind the jihadi cell that was dismantled in Belgium. But a federal magistrate said the information they received showed there was no link.
France
One of the terrorists behind last week's attacks in Paris, Said Kouachi, was given a secret burial as authorities sought to head off glorification of terrorism and civil unrest. After an initial refusal to provide a burial place for Kouachi, the Mayor of Reims, Arnaud Robinet, said he was forced to backtrack. Government had insisted he allow the elder brother to be buried in Reims because according to law residents of a town have the right to be buried there.
