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Islamic State recruit Shamima Begum can’t return to UK, court rules

Begum, whose British citizenship was revoked on national security grounds in 2019, is challenging the revocation from a displacement camp in Syria.
Renu, eldest sister of Shamima Begum holds her sister's photo whilst being interviewed by the media at New Scotland Yard, Central London. PRESS ASSOCIATION Photo. Picture date: Sunday February 22, 2015. See PA story  . Photo credit should read: Laura Lean/PA Wire

The UK Supreme Court ruled Friday that Shamima Begum, who left London as a teen to join the Islamic State in Syria, cannot return to the United Kingdom to fight the British government’s decision to revoke her citizenship. 

The ruling overturns a lower court judgment in July that said Begum, now 21, should be allowed to come back to her home country to participate in her citizenship case. But in November, the Home Office appealed the ruling on national security grounds, saying Begum’s return would “expose the public to an increased risk of terrorism.” 

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