Three men charged with terror offences after being found in a lorry at the Port of Dover

The men are alleged to have been attempting to travel to Syria

A Police car parked outside Kennington Police Station on February 15, 2015 in London, England (Dan Kitwood/Getty Images)

Three men from Birmingham have been charged with terror offences, over allegations they tried to smuggle themselves out of the UK to join Isis fighters in Iraq or Syria.

Gabriel Clement Rasmus, 28, Anas Abdow Abdalla, 26, and Mahamuud Diini, 25, are all accused of preparing acts of terrorism.

Police arrested the trio earlier this month after they were found in the back of an articulated lorry at the Port of Dover on 3 April, the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) said.

West Midlands Police said is it believed the men were attempting to leave the UK in order to join Isis in their so-called Islamic State. The extremist group has captured swathes of Iraq and Syria since last June, and has used powerful online propaganda to recruit men and women to join its ranks from across the world.

The Metropolitan Police believes around 600 people from the UK have travelled to the conflict zone to join Isis.

The men will appear at Westminster Magistrates' Court in London tomorrow.

Two other men arrested at the same time are no longer suspected of terrorism offences but are being investigated by immigration authorities, the force said.

A woman who was also detained has been told she faces no further action.

Additional reporting by PA