It is becoming increasingly evident that, in the words of the former Conservative party chair, Lady Warsi, Britain is“fighting an ever-losing battle” to prevent extremists from radicalising people online.
While police are trying urgently to locate missing Shamima Begum, 15, Kadiza Sultana, 16, and Amira Abase, 15, who have believed to have crossed the border into Syria in Al Raqqa, ISIS continue to have success using the internet and social media platforms for their own propaganda and recruitment.
It emerged that a Twitter account linked to Begum shows that she contacted Aqsa Mahmood, a prominent online advocate and recruiter of ISIS, just two days before leaving her East London home and travelling to Turkey with her two school friends. Despite the Twitter account being monitored, the tweet, “follow me so i can dm you back,” went unnoticed by counter-terror agencies.
