First Photo Of 'Jihadi John' As Adult Revealed

PM Defends MI5 After 'Jihadi John' Named

Written By Unknown on Sabtu, 28 Februari 2015 | 10.03

David Cameron says Britain will do "everything we can" to bring terrorists to justice after Londoner Mohammed Emwazi was identified as the Islamic State militant known as "Jihadi John".

The Prime Minister also expressed his support for Britain's security services as questions were raised about whether appropriate actions were taken to stop Emwazi from travelling to Syria.

Speaking at an event in Cardiff, Mr Cameron defended MI5 and praised the service for its "dedicated and courageous" work protecting Britain.

"They are having to make incredibly difficult judgements, and I think basically they make very good judgements on our behalf," he said.

"I think while we are in the middle of this vast effort to make sure British citizens are safe, the most important thing is to get behind them."

The security agency has been criticised for its handling of Emwazi's case. The 27-year-old travelled to Syria in 2013, several years after MI5's first contact with the militant.

In 2009 he was reportedly questioned by an MI5 officer in Amsterdam who accused him of attempting to travel to Somalia to join a terror group.

Asim Qureshi, a director of the CAGE campaign group, has claimed Emwazi was harassed by the security agency over the following years as agents tried to recruit him as an informant.

Sir Menzies Campbell, a member of the Intelligence and Security Committee, has indicated that the parliamentary committee is likely to seek answers from MI5 over what information they held on "Jihadi John".

The families of Western hostages killed by Islamic State have expressed mixed reactions to the identification of Emwazi.

A spokesman for relatives of Steven Sotloff, the US journalist beheaded in an Islamic State video, says they have "full faith" that Emwazi will eventually face justice.

While refusing to address specific cases, Mr Cameron said the security services and the police would do "everything" to bring those who commit "appalling and heinous crimes" to justice.

He described Britain's security services as "incredibly impressive, hard-working and dedicated".

"I'm satisfied we have in place the right ways of scrutinising the work that these extraordinary men and women do on our behalf," Mr Cameron said.

"Even in the last few months their dedication and work has saved us from plots on the streets of the United Kingdom that could have done immense damage.

"So I think it is a moment to stand up and thank them for the work they do on our behalf."

Speaking to Sky News, the executive director of the Human Security Centre, an independent foreign policy think tank, criticised CAGE for suggesting that Emwazi was radicalised as a consequence of his contact with MI5.

"This narrative was put forward by CAGE, which is often described as a human rights organisation, or a civil liberty organisation, but which is actually a pro-Islamist organisation," she said.

"They have a long record of supporting terrorists and of apologising for their actions."

Meanwhile Boris Johnson has told Sky News of his concern about youth being "sucked into" Islamist ideologies in London and across the country.

Mr Johnson was speaking to First News readers and contributors from Sky News' Stand Up Be Counted campaign.

Asked whether people should feel safe in Britain, Mr Johnson said: "We should feel safe in this country. (The) police are doing a great job... and we're a safe society.

"But... we do have a problem with terrorism, with young people who are just being driven into an ideology that in my view is leading them into dangerous and criminal, catastrophic behaviour."

10.03 | 0 komentar | Read More

First Photo Of 'Jihadi John' As Adult Revealed

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The first known photograph has emerged of Mohammed Emwazi - the Islamic State militant known as "Jihadi John" - as an adult.

Showing him with a goatee beard and wearing a Pittsburgh Pirates baseball cap, the image is revealed in student records from his time at the University of Westminster.

It comes after the 26-year-old who became the masked face of the notorious terror organisation was identified as the figure seen in several videos of hostages being beheaded.

Sky News can also exclusively reveal details of Emwazi's academic achievements during his stint at the university in London's Cavendish campus, between 2006 and 2009.

According to the document, he passed all but two of the modules in his Information Systems with Business Management degree, for which he was awarded a lower second honours (2:2).

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Gallery: Jihadi John's University Academic Record

Mohammed Emwazi, aka Jihadi John, studied a computing course at university. Sky News has exclusively obtained his student record

His file shows mostly middling academic grades for his course modules. He graduated with a lower second (2.2) degree

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Emwazi is believed to be the British-accented man who has appeared in Islamic State beheading videos

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Pictures have also emerged of Emwazi from his school yearbook in 1996

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The 27-year-old went to St Mary Magdalene Church of England school in Maida Vale, west London

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The record shows he was awarded a "condoned credit; retake" status for modules in Business Information Systems and Managing Business Organisations.

Earlier, a photograph had emerged showing the smiling face of a eight-year-old Emwazi sitting with classmates at St Magdalene's Church of England School in west London.

An unnamed classmate told The Sun newspaper that Emwazi, who reportedly came from a devout family, was the only Muslim in the class and would demonstrate Arabic writing to the class.

After completing his degree he went on to become a computer programmer before travelling to Syria in 2013 and later joining IS.

Advocacy group CAGE said the Kuwaiti-born Briton was "extremely kind" and "extremely gentle" but had been harassed by the UK security services.

Research director Asim Qureshi said Emwazi's family was "in utter shock" that the "beautiful young man" had joined the militant group.

Prime Minister David Cameron defended the security services, insisting Britain will do "everything we can" to bring terrorists to justice.

"They are having to make incredibly difficult judgements, and I think basically they make very good judgements on our behalf," he said.

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Written By Unknown on Kamis, 26 Februari 2015 | 10.03

By Tom Parmenter, Sky News Correspondent

Children in NHS hospitals are still at risk from abusers like Savile unless the law is changed, a pressure group has said.

Tom Perry, a survivor of abuse himself and founder of the group Mandate Now, has explained to Sky News why laws compelling staff to report concerns of abuse must be introduced.

He believes Stoke Mandeville Hospital in Buckinghamshire was no different to other institutions around the UK where Savile abused vulnerable children - the thing they all had in common was that staff never had the proper legal backing to speak out.

Mr Perry said: "He operated up and down the country, just look at the number of allegations.

"These places are petri dishes for abuse, they are petri dishes, you have got a target rich environment, kids who sometimes can't move because of illness ... this is a nirvana for someone like Savile.

"It couldn't have been stopped in my opinion, the culture is not there.

"The first rule in life is self preservation, why would anybody speak? Staff always have a choice but it is an incredibly challenging choice.

"They have to go off piste, they have to become rogue to report, by definition in law they are whistleblowers without any protection."

Home Secretary Theresa May has previously confirmed that the Government is examining the case for possible changes in the law, but also warned that it is "a complex issue".

Mr Perry believes the fundamental change should be simple.

He said: "We want a law that requires staff to report allegations to their line manager, these can be concerns, which is otherwise known as early intervention.

"We want them to be legally supported to do that, so in other words that is law.

"If you fail to do it there will be consequences because that cuts away many of the things that stop reports being made.

"It puts the management of the institution and the staff on the same side of the fence and what that will do is introduce culture change, it is a little bit like drink driving or seat belts.

"For decades the Government was advertising saying 'wear seat belts' but nobody took any notice, it was a value judgement. This is a value judgement, once they introduced seat belts guess what happened?"

Mr Perry accepts that attitudes to safeguarding of children have now been transformed but the lack of mandatory reporting, in his view, still means children are at a greater risk than they need to be.

He added: "No law has been introduced, everything is done on a whim, everything is done on a whim and on discretionary reporting.

"You should report, that is as strong as it gets."

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Reports: NHS Failings Let Savile Abuse Children

By Tom Parmenter, Sky News Correspondent

A series of damning reports are expected to confirm institutionalised failings which allowed Jimmy Savile to abuse vulnerable children at NHS hospitals.

The long-awaited report from the Department of Health will address the "lessons learned" from the Savile scandal, but is unlikely to lead to managers or staff being held to account for failing to stop his abuse.

A report from Buckinghamshire NHS Trust will focus on his offending at one of Savile's favoured hospitals, Stoke Mandeville in Buckinghamshire, the birthplace of the Paralympics.

Sam Brown was one of scores of youngsters abused by Savile at the hospital. Aged 11 she was indecently assaulted by the star in a room adjacent to a chapel at the hospital where mass was being held.

She told Sky News: "He used to put his hand over my face as well quite a lot and sometimes his fingers into my mouth.

"That wasn't to keep me quiet, I know what that meant, that was to reinforce his power 100% over me, I get that.

"He knew he had the back-up from the hospital, I feel, he knew there that they were lenient on anything he had done."

The privileges and access afforded to Savile at Stoke Mandeville included a bedroom in the nurses' accommodation.

Liz Dux, a lawyer who represents many of the victims from Stoke Mandeville, said: "The senior management, the senior staff, knew what was happening.

"We do know victims were told to be quiet with their complaints, because of the good that he was doing.

"What the victims want from today is not just an apology from Jeremy Hunt, but actually some accountability, someone to say yes we did know, it's totally unacceptable that we knew, and to put in place steps to ensure this type of horror can never happen again."

When police officers finally questioned Savile about abuse allegations at the hospital Savile bragged: "The NHS run it, I own it."

His fundraising efforts meant he held similar status at Broadmoor in Berkshire and Leeds General Infirmary.

A report last year into his offending in Leeds found that it stretched from 1962 to 2009 and included 60 people who said they were abused. Their ages ranged from five to 75 years old.

Savile's fascination with the dead was also documented and allegations that he posed for pictures and performed sexual acts in the hospital mortuary were recorded in the Leeds report.

Savile's death in 2011 meant he never faced justice for his crimes.

Today's report into the "lessons learned" will draw together his offending across the NHS and offer evidence that the service is now a vastly different organisation.

Campaigners have said though that until mandatory reporting is introduced to compel staff to report concerns of abuse then children will still be at risk.

Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt is expected to make a statement following publication of the reports.

10.03 | 0 komentar | Read More

Schoolgirls Believed To Have Crossed Into Syria

Written By Unknown on Rabu, 25 Februari 2015 | 10.03

Three British schoolgirls feared to be planning to join Islamic State are now believed by police to have crossed the Turkish border into Syria.

Scotland Yard said counter-terrorism officers leading the investigation "now have reason to believe that they are no longer in Turkey and have crossed into Syria".

A spokesman added: "Officers continue to work closely with the Turkish authorities on this investigation."

Shamima Begum, 15, Kadiza Sultana, 16, and 15-year-old Amira Abase, from east London, flew to Istanbul from Gatwick Airport last Tuesday.

The girls' relatives have made emotional pleas for them to come home amid concerns they may have been recruited by jihadists who communicated with them online.

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Gallery: Three Schoolgirls From East London Go Missing

These pictures were taken from Kadiza Sultana (l) and Shamima Begum's (r) Twitter accounts

Kadiza and Shamima are feared to be on their way to Syria with a third girl, 15-year-old Amira Abase

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Foreign IS Recruits Using Fake Syrian Passports

By Tom Rayner, Middle East Reporter, Turkey-Syria border

Foreign fighters seeking to join Islamic State are using black-market Syrian passports to enter through Turkish border checkpoints, according to smugglers operating in the area.

It comes as UK police say they now believe three London schoolgirls, who arrived in Turkey over a week ago, have crossed into Syria.

Since last summer, Turkish authorities have banned anyone but Syrian citizens from using official crossings, but Sky News has found that fake documents can be easily purchased from smugglers within hours.

The passports can be made to carry any name or photograph the buyer wishes to use.

The ready availability of such documents, which cost around £500 per passport, underlines the extreme difficulties faced by the Turkish authorities in identifying the true nationality of those entering Syria.

The border crossing at Akcakale, in south eastern Turkey leads to the Syrian town of Tel Abiad, which is under the control of Islamic State.

The area has become a key strategic smuggling route for Islamic State, given its position just 60 miles north of the group's main stronghold in the town of Raqqa.

Two smugglers who make their living bringing people in and out of Syria told Sky News the use of black-market passports was seen as an alternative to cross-border smuggling.

"It helps if they want to go - they have a whole new identity, which can get them across to the other side," one of the men said.

The price for more traditional people-smuggling has recently gone up, due to growing danger posed by coalition airstrikes and the presence of other Syrian rebel groups on the outskirts of the area.

"Before it was 5,000 Syrian pounds (£17), now it's 10,000 (£34] or 15,000 (£51)," he said.

"Before it was possible to cross in one day, now they have to wait two or three days in Turkey, sometimes we stay three days with the people."

But they have also noticed a change in recent months, with more Syrians attempting to leave - claiming they are "afraid" of Islamic State.

Among them are some former IS fighters, who risk being killed if caught trying to defect.

Sky News spoke to a 27-year-old former fighter, who claims he escaped the group before Christmas after being appalled at the beheading of a 14 year-old boy in Raqqah, who was accused of cursing God.

"The brutality was against Muslims," he said.

"I don't disagree they should take harsh measures against non-believers, but now they are behaving with brutality towards fellow Muslims."

He said there was growing division and resentment inside Islamic State between Syrians like himself and the foreign fighters.

"The foreign fighters are given everything - cars, help with marriage, lots of money, but Syrian fighters get very little."

Asked if he had a message for young Muslims in Britain, thinking of following in the footsteps of the three London schoolgirls by heading to Syria, he said: "Go to your homes and stay in your homes. If you want to support the Syrian people, do it with prayer."

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Turkey Criticises Britain Over Missing Girls

Written By Unknown on Selasa, 24 Februari 2015 | 10.03

Turkey has criticised Britain for taking too long to inform it about three schoolgirls that travelled to the country and went missing.

Deputy Prime Minister Bulent Arinc said his country was not told for three days about the youngsters who are thought to have been heading to Syria.

Shamima Begum, 15, Kadiza Sultana, 16, and Amira Abase, 15, were last seen on Tuesday morning as they left their homes in East London, telling their families they would be out for the day.

Mr Arinc said he hoped the girls would be found, but added that if they were not, it would be Britain, not Turkey, to blame.

He said: "It is a condemnable act for Britain to let three girls ... come to Istanbul and then let us know three days later ... They haven't taken the necessary measures.

"The search is ongoing. It would be great if we can find them. But if we can't, it is not us who will be responsible, but the British."

The three London schoolgirls are believed to have boarded a Turkish Airlines flight at Gatwick, which landed in Istanbul on the evening of 17 February, with the intention to cross into Syria and join terror group Islamic State.

The British authorities informed Ankara on 20 February, Mr Arinc said.

Turkey was able to do very little to track the movements of three people who had entered as tourists, he said.

Thousands of foreigners from more than 80 countries have joined the ranks of Islamic State and other radical groups in Syria and Iraq, many crossing through Turkey.

As many as 500 Britons are thought to gave made their way to Syria or Iraq to join the jihadists' fight.

Turkey has said it needs more detailed and faster information from Western intelligence agencies to intercept them.

The girls' school said on Monday that it had "no evidence" they were at risk from radicalisation.

It is understood Shamima Begum had exchanged messages online with Aqsa Mahmood, a former private school pupil from Glasgow who travelled to Syria to marry a fighter in 2013.

Ms Mahmood's family lawyer Aamer Anwar also criticised the British security authorities on Sky News on Sunday, accusing them of not passing on intelligence that could stop children from travelling to Syria or Iraq.

On Saturday, Ms Mahmood's family said security services had "serious questions to answer" over her alleged contact with the missing girls because her social media has been monitored since her disappearance.

10.03 | 0 komentar | Read More

Feeding Peanuts To Kids May Prevent Allergies

By Gerard Tubb, Sky News Correspondent

Children with a high risk of developing life-threatening peanut allergies can be protected if given foods containing them when they are babies, according to new research.

Almost one in 50 children is allergic to peanuts, double the rate of ten years ago, and the condition kills more people than any other food allergy.

The Learning Early About Peanut Allergy study led by Professor Gideon Lack of King's College London involved 640 children who were considered at high risk of developing peanut allergy due to pre-existing severe eczema or egg allergy.

Half the children ate foods containing peanuts at least three times a week until they were five, while the others avoided peanuts altogether.

At the end of the study 3.2% of the children who had eaten peanuts had an allergic reaction to them, compared with 17.2% of the control group.

Professor Lack said it was an important clinical development that contravenes previous guidelines.

"Whilst these were withdrawn in 2008 in the UK and US, our study suggests that new guidelines may be needed to reduce the rate of peanut allergy in our children," he said.

Despite their findings, the study's authors warn parents not to give peanuts to infants or young children without taking medical advice and say further research is needed.

10.03 | 0 komentar | Read More

Jack Straw Suspended Over 'Cash For Access'

Written By Unknown on Senin, 23 Februari 2015 | 10.03

Jack Straw has been suspended from the Labour Party over claims of a "cash for access" scandal reported in a national newspaper.

The former foreign secretary, along with Tory MP Sir Malcolm Rifkind, were secretly filmed by the Daily Telegraph in a joint investigation with Channel 4's Dispatches programme apparently offering to use their influence in return for money.

Reporters claiming to represent a Hong Kong-based communications agency called PMR contacted the two senior MPs to say they were seeking to hire senior British politicians to join the company's advisory board.

At one meeting, Mr Straw is alleged to have described how he operated "under the radar" to use his influence to change EU rules for a commodity company which paid him £60,000 a year.

The newspaper reported he claimed to have used "charm and menace" to convince the Ukrainian prime minister to change laws on behalf of the same company.

Sir Malcolm is said to have claimed he could arrange "useful access" to British ambassadors. He also described himself as "self-employed", and added "nobody pays me a salary".

The investigation contacted 12 MPs. Six did not respond, while another said his contacts were not for sale.

Sky's Deputy Political Editor Joey Jones said: "The first thing to ask is of course whether the law might have been broken and I don't think there's anything that stacks up in that sort of way in the detail of the allegations that are laid out.

"The other is is whether any parliamentary rules might have been broken and there it does get murkier, because clearly the fundamental issue is whether or not influence has been brought to bear to try to influence government policy, that is the sort of thing that brought people down in the past.

"Well it's not along those lines exactly, but Jack Straw does talk about the fact that he met the Ukrainian prime minister to try to persuade him to change European Union regulations."

Mr Straw, who is standing down at the general election as MP for Blackburn, said in a statement that the discussions related to what he might do when he left the House of Commons.

He said: "I now face the horrible situation in which what I said is being used to suggest wrongdoing when there was none.

"But I've spent long enough in politics to know how some of the remarks I made in what I had thought was a private conversation will now be used.

"I am mortified that I fell into this trap, despite my best efforts to avoid this, and my previous public criticism of colleagues of all parties who have done so in the past. Of course I am kicking myself."

A spokesperson from the Labour Party said: "We have seen the disturbing allegations against Jack Straw in the Daily Telegraph.

"The Chief Whip has spoken to Jack Straw. He has agreed to refer himself to the Parliamentary Commissioner for Standards and in the meantime he has agreed the best course of action is to suspend himself from the Parliamentary Labour Party."

Sir Malcolm has also referred himself to the Parliamentary Commissioner for Standards.

Both politicians have strongly denied any wrongdoing.

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Ex-Cop Says Sorry Over Chelsea Racism Incident

A former policeman accused of being involved in an alleged racist incident with Chelsea football fans on the Paris Metro has apologised.

Richard Barklie, who was one of three men police sought after a black man was allegedly pushed off the train by chanting football supporters, has insisted he is not a racist.

Video posted online showed commuter Souleymane S being pushed back onto the platform as some of those on the train chanted "we're racist, we're racist and that's the way we like it".

Mr Barklie, 50, who was a member of the Royal Ulster Constabulary and a Police Service of Northern Ireland officer, is currently a director of the World Human Rights Forum.

The Chelsea season ticket holder issued a statement through his solicitor Kevin Winters, in which he admitted being involved in an "incident" that resulted in Souleymane S being "unable to enter part of the train".

In the statement, Mr Winters said: "Pending formal engagement with police, our client is anxious to put on record his total abhorrence for racism and any activity associated with it.

"As someone who has spent years working with disadvantaged communities in Africa and India he can point to a CV in human rights work, which undermines any suggestion he is racist.

"Today a senior official in the World Human Rights Forum confirmed their support for him.

"He did not participate in racist chanting and singing and condemns any behaviour supporting that."

Mr Winters says Mr Barklie had travelled to matches for more than 20 years with no problems and has "an account to give to police which will explain the context and circumstances" of this incident.

"In the meantime pending that, he wants to put on record his sincerest apologies for the trauma and stress suffered by Mr Souleymane.

The WAVE Trauma Centre, which supports victims of the Northern Ireland Troubles, said it had suspended a part-time worker pending further investigation into the Paris incident.

A Metropolitan Police spokesman says the other two men in the photo have been identified and the force is working with the French authorities.

None of the men sought by Scotland Yard have been arrested.

Five people have so far been suspended from Chelsea's Stamford Bridge ground following investigations into the incident.

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Families Urge Schoolgirls To Stay Out Of Syria

Written By Unknown on Minggu, 22 Februari 2015 | 10.03

The families of three schoolgirls believed to be heading for Syria to join Islamic State have pleaded with them to come home.

Shamima Begum, 15, Kadiza Sultana, 16, and Amira Abase, 15, were last seen on Tuesday morning as they left their homes in East London, telling their families they would be out for the day.

It has emerged they were questioned just two months ago after one of their classmates, also 15, travelled to Syria and yet they were still able to board a Turkish Airlines flight at Gatwick which landed at Istanbul on Tuesday evening.

Amid fears that the girls are also trying to cross the border into war-torn Syria to join Islamic State, Shamima's family issued a statement saying they miss her "terribly" and are "extremely worried" about her.

They said: "Please, if you hear this message, get in touch and let us know you are safe. We want you home with us. You belong at home with us.

"Syria is a dangerous place and we don't want you to go there. Get in touch with the police and they will help to bring you home. You are not in any trouble."

The family says that they understand Shamima has "strong feelings" and wants to help those she believes are suffering in Syria, but they added: "You can help from home, you don't have to put yourself in danger.

"Please don't cross the border. Please come home to us. Our Mum needs you home and is really worried. We are not mad at you, we love you."

Kadiza's family said: "We are sending you our heartfelt love and continue to pray that you, along with your friends, safely return to us, or at least contact us to let us know you are OK.

"We all love you dearly and the last four days have been a complete nightmare, not knowing where you are and how you are keeping."

The family of Amira said they and her friends missed her so much, adding: "Please come home Amira, everyone is missing you. You are strong, smart, beautiful and we are hoping you will make the right decision.

"We miss you more that you can imagine. We are worried and we want you to think about what you have left behind."

"You had bright future, so please return home."

The Metropolitan Police disclosed the three girls were questioned by officers in December as part of a "routine inquiry". According to The Times none of the three was subsequently monitored by counter-terrorism police.

It was only when their families raised the alarm that authorities discovered the girls had fled the country.

Sky News has also uncovered a tweet sent from Shamima Begum's Twitter account two days earlier, asking a friend already in Syria to follow her so they can start messaging privately.

The friend is understood to be a former private school pupil from Glasgow who travelled to Syria to marry a fighter.

In a statement the Metropolitan Police said they found "nothing" in December to indicate the girls were likely to flee.

It said: "There was nothing to suggest at the time that the girls themselves were at risk and indeed their disappearance has come as a great surprise, not least to their own families."

Turkish Airlines reportedly did not notify authorities that the girls had boarded the flight to Turkey - a known stop for would-be jihadists travelling to Syria.

Questions have now been raised over how the girls - who attended the Bethnal Green Academy school and were described as "straight-A students" - were able to leave the UK so easily.

Former Metropolitan Police border control officer Chris Hobbs told Sky News that checks for people departing from UK airports made it a "walk in the park for jihadis and girls like this" to leave.

"At the moment you go through security, you get on the plane, you might be checked by a private security guard," he said.

"Unless you're very unlucky you won't pass under the eyes of anyone from UK law enforcement.

"If you're on a watch list then you will ping the system. If you're not on the radar then the odds are you will get on the plane without too many problems."

The number of Westerners who have travelled to Iraq and Syria to join IS is thought to be about 3,000, including as many as 550 women, according to the London-based Institute for Strategic Dialogue.

Prime Minister David Cameron has told schools, colleges and universities they must play a role in stopping teenagers travelling to Syria to fight alongside Islamic State terrorists.

He added: "We all have a role to play in stopping people from having their minds poisoned by this appalling death cult."

Police have issued the following descriptions of the girls.

:: Shamima Begum, 15

Shamima is around 5ft 7in tall and was wearing black, thick-rimmed glasses, a black hijab, a light brown and black leopard-print scarf, a dark red jumper, black trousers and jacket.

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Gallery: Schoolgirls May Have Gone To Syria

Scotland Yard are trying to trace three teenage girls from the same East London school who are believed to have run off to Syria

CCTV captured images of the girls at Gatwick Airport

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'Global Response' To Secure Turkey-Syria Border

By Tom Rayner, Middle East Reporter, on the Turkey-Syria border

A senior Turkish official has called on the international community to share more intelligence information to stem the flow of foreigners to Islamic State.

As the search continues for three London schoolgirls believed to be travelling to Syria, Cemalettin Hasimi told Sky News that Turkey cannot be expected to intercept people unless efforts are made to boost the country's travel blacklist.

"It's a global problem that requires a global response," said Mr Hasimi, who advises Turkish Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu on security and foreign policy.

"The only way to prevent their entrance is to know their name, to have a list, so that we can take necessary measures.

"It is a proven fact (that) the best way to prevent the mobility of these groups or individuals is in the source countries."

Turkey currently has a list consisting of around 10,000 individuals who will be detained and deported should they try to enter the country.

The list, compiled as a result of information shared by intelligence agencies around the world, has grown significantly in recent months.

It has grown from 5,000 names in the summer of 2014, to 7,000 names by the end of that year.

But as the case of the three missing London teenagers has shown, the task of identifying those who intend to travel to Syria remains difficult.

Although the Metropolitan Police spoke to the girls two months ago in connection with another student who travelled to Syria, that information was not passed to Turkish authorities.

Turkey attracts an average of 35 million visitors each year.

The country has established a network of Risk Analysis Centres at entry points, staffed by intelligence officials and expert profilers who assess travellers as they make their way into the country.

More than 500 people who were not on the travel blacklist have been detained and deported as a result of the checks over the past year.

They include a man from Norway carrying parts of an assault rifle in his luggage, and a Swedish citizen with bags of military-style camouflage and other equipment, who had travelled from Denmark.

Turkey is also stepping up its efforts along the Syria border, digging a trench nearly 60 miles long and three metres deep in the Kilis region.

It is also installing concrete walls to prevent vehicles, weapons and people being smuggled along the 600 miles of border it shares with Syria.

The governor of Kilis, Suleyman Tapsis, told Sky News authorities in the region have apprehended 184 foreigners from 34 different countries in the past year.

"We are catching them with military overalls, camouflage, binoculars and other such equipment," he said.

"They have computers and the photos we find on their USB sticks make clear they are in a troubled state of mind."

During a visit to Turkey in December, Prime Minister David Cameron insisted the UK was prepared to offer "the highest level of intelligence co-operation we can possibly achieve" with Turkey.

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