Skip to content
Search

Latest Stories

Sandeep Samra, the schoolgirl who wanted to join ISIS, jailed

Sandeep Samra, a British Sikh teenager who wanted to travel to Syria to join ISIS, was sentenced to three and a half years in prison by the Birmingham Crown Court.

Police were informed of Samra's plans to work for the ISIS by her teachers. Although the teen, who had converted to Islam without her family's knowledge when she was 15, claimed she wanted to travel to Syria to work as a nurse, extreme content supporting ISIS was found on her phone.


Judge Melbourne Inman QC told Samra: “You were deeply radicalised and in possession of the most extreme material. Fortunately, you were found and stopped before you were ever able to in fact travel.”

According to reports, Samra had researched the ways she could be smuggled out of Britain and the routes she could take to reach Syria so that she could take part in "jihad."

"May Allah give me death in the cause," wrote Samra in a social media message shortly before her arrest last July.

"I need a passport. If infidels know you support, they take your passport. Britain is very strict," another message on her phone read.

Prosecutor Sarah Whitehouse told the court that Samra discussed marriage with multiple extremists."We can see the people with whom Miss Samra was communicating - we appear to have six respondents (in 2015) and also six in 2017," said Whitehouse.

Samra first applied for  passport in September 2015. But she couldn't take possession of it as it was handed to the police by her father a month later after teachers reported her to an anti-extremism team.

The passport was then cancelled, and Samra applied for a new one in June 2017. She was so frantic on getting a new one that she asked staff members at her old school to countersign documents. She reportedly became frustrated and rude when her requests weren't met.

More For You

Tim Friede’s Snakebite Trials Pave Way for Universal Antivenom

Traditional antivenoms are made by injecting venom into animals

iStock

Tim Friede survives 200 snakebites to help create universal antivenom

Scientists have developed a potentially groundbreaking snake antivenom using the blood of Tim Friede, a US man who has spent nearly two decades injecting himself with venom from some of the world’s deadliest snakes. The research has led to the discovery of antibodies offering unprecedented protection against a broad range of venomous species.

Friede, a former truck mechanic, has been bitten more than 200 times and injected himself with venom over 700 times in an attempt to build immunity. His goal, initially motivated by personal safety while handling snakes, evolved into a mission to aid global snakebite victims. Each year, snakebites kill up to 140,000 people and cause permanent injury or disability in many more, particularly in developing countries.

Keep ReadingShow less
reform-uk-reuters

A Reform UK party poster is seen outside a house in Frodsham. (Photo: Reuters)

Reuters

Reform takes control of Lancashire, Nottinghamshire, becomes largest in Leicestershire

REFORM UK has made major gains in local elections across England, taking control of county councils in Lancashire, Nottinghamshire and becoming the largest party in Leicestershire.

In Leicestershire, the Conservatives lost control of the county council, with no party securing a majority. Reform UK won 25 seats, three short of the 28 required for full control. The Conservatives have 15 seats, the Liberal Democrats 11, Labour has two, with one Green and one independent councillor.

Keep ReadingShow less
Attari-Wagah-border-reuters

Vehicles wait in a line before making their way to Pakistan at the Attari-Wagah border crossing. (Photo: Reuters)

Reuters

India halts Pakistan imports as tensions rise over Kashmir killings

INDIA has banned the import of goods originating from or transiting via Pakistan following the killing of 26 tourists in Indian-administered Kashmir.

The ban was announced by India’s Directorate General of Foreign Trade and takes immediate effect. “This restriction is imposed in the interest of national security and public policy,” the notification said.

Keep ReadingShow less
Reform

Reform UK has so far won 44 seats in Kent County Council. (Photo: Getty Images)

Getty Images

Reform takes control of Kent County Council

REFORM UK has taken control of Kent County Council, ending nearly 30 years of Conservative majority rule.

The Conservatives have lost 45 of the first 59 seats declared, with 44 of those going to Reform UK. All 72 electoral divisions across the county were up for election, accounting for a total of 81 councillors.

Keep ReadingShow less
Hajj pilgrims cautioned over meningitis and MERS bug

Hajj and Umrah pilgrims are required to show proof of a valid MenACWY vaccination when arriving in Saudi Arabia

iStock

Hajj pilgrims cautioned over meningitis and MERS bug

BRITAIN’s health security agency has urged pilgrims travelling to Saudi Arabia for Hajj or Umrah to get vaccinated against meningococcal disease, following a small number of recent cases in the country linked to travel.

Between February and March, five people in England and Wales developed MenW, a type of meningococcal infection, after either visiting Saudi Arabia or having close contact with someone who had, the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) has said.

Keep ReadingShow less