MOSCOW (Sputnik) — A 30-year old woman from Leicester, England, was arrested at Birmingham Airport Wednesday on suspicion of preparing to leave for Syria with her three children to engage in terrorist activities, the counterterrorism unit (CTU) of West Midlands police said.
“The woman’s home address and another, associated address are currently being searched,” West Midlands CTU said on the police website.
In recent years, thousands of disaffected westerners have left for Syria and Iraq to join the ranks of the Islamic State militant group. IS is notorious for brutality and human rights abuse, especially to women.
Until recently it was believed that IS mainly targeted single young people for recruitment. However, earlier in July Spanish media reported that the organization actively recruited foreign families with children and offered 'high' rewards for joining.
According to the Spanish National court, at least 14 Spanish families and their children have joined IS since the group proclaimed a caliphate on its occupied territory.
In June, three sisters from Bradford, England, crossed into Syria with their nine children and are believed to have joined the IS.
