Theresa May refuses to comment on whether British schoolgirls will be allowed back into UK

  • Syria

Theresa May has refused to comment on whether three British schoolgirls reportedly on the run from Islamic State might be allowed back into the UK.

Asked about the reports and whether the girls would be allowed to return, the home secretary told Good Morning Britain that attempts to return are dealt with on a "case-by-case" basis.

A blogger on the Mosul Eye Facebook page claimed three British teenagers who were married to IS militants had escaped and the terror group was now searching for them.

Bethnal Green Academy schoolgirls Shamima Begum, Amira Abase and Kadiza Sultana disappeared from their homes in February and flew to Turkey before crossing into Syria.

The families of the three girls denied reports they had fled IS, telling ITV News that the trio are still believed to be in Raqqa.

A lawyer for the families said "according to our own sources the girls from Bethnal Green remain in Raqqa and are not being pursued by any parties".

Reports that the girls' had escaped the group appears on the Facebook page of Mosul Eye, which is apparently written by a blogger in the IS-held city.

The girls disappeared in February. Credit: Metropolitan Police

On May 2, a post read: "Three girls, (Foreigners - British) married to ISIL militants, reported missing, and ISIL announced to all its check points to search for them. It is believed that those girls have escaped."

A later post added: "The latest info I got on them is they are still on the run, but still in Mosul, and ISIL is thoroughly searching for them and hasn't captured them yet.

"They are Brits, not immigrants, and they are very young teens (around 16 years old). That's all I have about them for now."

Mrs May told Good Morning Britain: "I'm not able to talk about individual cases.

"Obviously there are young people who go to Syria, some of whom find that what they see there is not what they thought it was going to be.

"We look on a case-by-case basis, and people have come back - youngsters who have gone there and suddenly realise what a mistake they've made."