Shamima Begum's own lawyer criticises her 'disgraceful' Manchester Arena bombing comments

Benedict Moore-Bridger19 February 2019

The lawyer acting for the family of jihadist bride Shamima Begum today criticised her “disgraceful” claim that there was “fair justification” for the Manchester Arena bombing in which 22 music fans died.

Begum, 19, who is pleading to be allowed to return from a Syrian refugee camp to the UK with her baby, has insisted she poses no threat to Britain.

However her lawyer Tasnime Akunjee today expressed incredulity at her latest comments about the 2017 atrocity which he said appears to be a “confirmation of the ISIS ideology”.

He told the Standard he had “no idea” why she would say such a thing: “These comments are disgraceful. It concerns me. I suspect she was brainwashed.”

Ms Begum dismissed the atrocity at the 2017 Ariana Grande concert as “retaliation”, telling the BBC: “Women and children are being killed in the Islamic State. It’s kind of retaliation. Their justification was that it was retaliation so I thought that is a fair justification.”

Mr Akunjee said today: “Her comments do not make it any easier going forward if she does come back to the UK. Whether she is saying these things wilfully or with impaired mental condition [will] change how she is treated.”

Admitting she had made “a mistake” in going to the so-called Islamic State, Ms Begum told ITV: “I don’t want to hurt anyone. I don’t know how I would be seen as a danger.”

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