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Man held for allegedly helping British schoolgirls cross into Syria

A man has been detained for allegedly helping three British schoolgirls cross into Syria, Turkey's foreign minister has said.

The man worked for the intelligence services of a country in the US-led coalition fighting Islamic State (IS), Mevlut Cavusoglu is quoted by Turkish media saying.

Shamima Begum, 15, Kadiza Sultana, 16, and 15-year-old Amira Abase, all students at Bethnal Green academy in east London, fled the UK last month to reportedly join IS.

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Foreign Office confirms man's arrest over Syria girls

CCTV image of British schoolgirls Kadiza Sultana, Shamima Begum, and Amira Abase who flew to Turkey last month

The Foreign Office has released a statement confirming that Turkish National Police have arrested a man alleged to have helped three British schoolgirls cross into Syria.

A statement released by the Foreign and Commonwealth Office said that the families of Shamima Begum, 15, Kadiza Sultana, 16, and 15-year-old Amira Abase had been informed.

We are aware that an arrest has been made by the Turkish National Police and that the Metropolitan Police have informed the families of the three girls.

There has been close cooperation between ourselves and the Turkish authorities, and the Foreign Secretary is in regular contact with his Turkish counterpart. As soon as the UK received this information it was acted upon appropriately.

– Foreign and Commonwealth Office spokesperson

Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu told media the man arrested worked for the intelligence services of a country in the US-led coalition fighting Islamic State (IS).

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Man held for allegedly helping British schoolgirls cross into Syria

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