Stay up to date with notifications from The Independent

Notifications can be managed in browser preferences.

Shamima Begum’s Dutch husband wants to live in Netherlands with Isis bride and newborn baby

Yago Riedijk is currently being held in a detention centre in northern Syria

Sunday 03 March 2019 11:05 GMT
Comments
Isis fighter Yago Riedijk talks about meeting Shamima Begum

Shamima Begum’s Dutch husband wants the couple to live in the Netherlands along with their newborn son.

Yago Riedijk, 27, who has admitted to being an Isis fighter, is currently being held in a detention centre in northern Syria.

The pair are said to have fled Baghouz, the group’s last foothold in eastern Syria, as its territory collapsed in recent months.

Ms Begum, who was heavily pregnant at the time, was separated from her husband and has since given birth to a baby boy.

The 19-year-old ran away from her home in east London to join Isis when she was 15.

She married Riedijk soon after she arrived in Syria, before she turned 16.

Riedijk, who is said to have rejected Isis, was found in the detention centre by the BBC.

Asked if he thought marrying a 15-year-old girl was acceptable, he said: “To be honest, when my friend came and said there was a girl who was interested in marriage, I wasn’t that interested because of her age, but I accepted the offer anyway.

“We sat down and she seemed in a good state of mind. It was her own choice, she was the one who asked to look for a partner for her.

“Then I was invited and yeah, she was very young and it might have been better for her to wait a bit. But she didn’t, she chose to get married and I chose to marry her.”

The Dutch government said it would not actively return fighters and were not willing to send officials to pick up the fighters due to the security situation.

It added, however, that if Riedijk handed himself in to a Dutch embassy or consulate he would be sent back to the Netherlands to serve his six-year prison term.

The end of the Isis Caliphate: Timeline of their rise and fall

Ms Begum, who said she wants to return to the UK, has been stripped of her British citizenship.

She has apparently been moved from the Syrian refugee camp she was staying in after being “threatened” for opening up about her plight.

She has since said that she regrets speaking to the media and wishes she had kept a low profile.

Ms Begum’s family have pleaded for the mother and her child to be allowed to come back to Britain.

They say the teenager should face justice if she is found to have broken the law by travelling to Syria.

Additional reporting from agencies

Join our commenting forum

Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies

Comments

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged inPlease refresh your browser to be logged in