Rochdale family detained near Syrian border released without charge following terror probe

Waheed Ahmed, 21, and four relatives were arrested under the Terrorism Act after returning to Britain but have now been freed by police

Waheed Ahmed, the son of a Labour councillor in Rochdale, has been released without charge (Reuters)

Five family members from Rochdale detained earlier this month near the Syrian border have been released without charge by the police.

They had been arrested on suspicion of “preparing terrorist acts” after allegedly trying to cross from Turkey with four young children on 1 April.

Waheed Ahmed, the 21-year-old son of a local councillor, has now been freed from custody along with two other men aged 24 and 22, and two women aged 47 and 22.

A border zone between Syria and Turkey, near Hatay. File photo (Getty Images)

Mr Ahmed had been arrested at Birmingham Airport following his deportation from Turkey and the other four were detained at Manchester Airport and taken into custody.

They had been with four children aged one, three, eight and 11, police said, adding that they were all related and from Rochdale.

A 30-year-old man arrested in the town earlier this month on suspicion of terror offences has also been released.

A spokesperson for Greater Manchester Police, who led the investigation as part of the North West Counter Terrorism Unit, said: “No evidence was uncovered to suggest any imminent threat to the communities of Rochdale or the UK.”

The family, who have since been released without charge in Britain, leave an hospital after they undergo medical check up and fingerprinting in Hatay, southern Turkey (Getty Images)

Officers had been trying to establish the group’s reason for travelling to the border in Hatay province after Turkish authorities alleged they were trying to reach Syria.

In a separate case, three men from Birmingham accused of attempting to smuggle themselves out of the UK in a lorry to join Isis appeared in court yesterday.

Gabriel Rasmus, 28, Anas Abdalla, 26m and Mahamuud Diini, 25, of Coventry Road, indicated they would plead not guilty at Westminster Magistrates’ Court and were remanded in custody to appear at the Old Bailey in May.

Additional reporting by PA