The BBC and Sky were immensely proud of their Shamima Begum 'scoops'. They'd got to speak to her, interview her and report her comments, plus the pleas of her family and her jihadi husband on her behalf.
But tonight it's The Sunday Telegraph and the Mail on Sunday who appear to have really taken the story forward and cast serious doubts on her claim to have been an innocent abroad - a mere jihadi bride.
But tonight it's The Sunday Telegraph and the Mail on Sunday who appear to have really taken the story forward and cast serious doubts on her claim to have been an innocent abroad - a mere jihadi bride.
The Sunday Telegraph reports "well-placed" Syrian sources, some of whose claims (they say) have been confirmed by Western intelligence, stating that Miss Begum was well-known as brutal enforcer in IS's morality police, in which she served for seven months. They say she carried a Kalashnikov rifle, and is "likely to have ordered the imprisonment and lashing of local women in Raqqa who were deemed not to be observing its dress code or were caught travelling without a male guardian." The sources also say she played an active role in recruiting other women to IS's cause.
Meanwhile, the Mail on Sunday reports that British "spy chiefs" told Theresa May and Sajid Javid that Shamima Begum was witnessed stitching suicide bombers into explosive vests during the siege of Raqqa, meaning they couldn’t be taken off without detonating - information said to be gleaned from the CIA and the Dutch intelligence service.
How will the BBC report this (especially having not got these scoops)?
Update: Ah, I see the first paper review on the BBC News Channel tonight has discussed it. BBC presenter Martine Croxall's contribution was to instantly parrot the familiar BBC line on the story:
I think you'll find Martine that even more people aren't saying "get her back here".
Further Update: In the second paper review, Martine didn't need to bring up her first point again because both of her left-leaning guests made it for it, but she did bring back her second point: "Complication here is how young she was when she went to Syria". And then, in a sad tone of voice, "But she also had two babies she said while she was in Syria, both of whom died" and, exuding sympathy, "You'd have thought people would have been watching out for them [the three Bethnal Green girls as they fled the UK to join IS]...girls who were so young". A remarkable performance from Martine. She could hardly have been more on Shamima Begum's side, short of wearing a 'Bring back Shamima" t-shirt.
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| Martine Croxall (her top is red because of her bleeding heart) |
Update: Ah, I see the first paper review on the BBC News Channel tonight has discussed it. BBC presenter Martine Croxall's contribution was to instantly parrot the familiar BBC line on the story:
There are a lot of people saying, look, if she's done something wrong get her back here, put her on trial, and also she was only 15 when she went.(Typically for a BBC paper review both paper reviewers said "that's right" to that).
I think you'll find Martine that even more people aren't saying "get her back here".
Further Update: In the second paper review, Martine didn't need to bring up her first point again because both of her left-leaning guests made it for it, but she did bring back her second point: "Complication here is how young she was when she went to Syria". And then, in a sad tone of voice, "But she also had two babies she said while she was in Syria, both of whom died" and, exuding sympathy, "You'd have thought people would have been watching out for them [the three Bethnal Green girls as they fled the UK to join IS]...girls who were so young". A remarkable performance from Martine. She could hardly have been more on Shamima Begum's side, short of wearing a 'Bring back Shamima" t-shirt.
