Police Appeal To Family Believed To Have Left UK For Syria

Police are appealing for information on the whereabouts of a family of six believed to have left the UK for Syria.

Asif Malik, his partner and their four children were reported missing last Thursday. It is understood that they were last seen on Tuesday 07 April, and had not mentioned any holiday or travel plans to family members.

Police have established that 31-year-old Asif, 29-year-old Sara Kiran, their daughter Zoha, aged 7, and three sons, Essa, aged 4, Zakariya, aged 2, and Yhaya, aged 1, boarded a ferry from Dover to Calais at 00:30 on Wednesday 08 April.

The family are then thought to have travelled south through Europe, and possibly through Budapest, Hungary, on or around Sunday 12 April.

Thames Valley police said that given the online rhetoric from the Islamic State (ISIL) encouraging people to travel to Syria, the direction of travel and concerns voiced by Asif’s family, they are "concerned the family may be seeking to travel to Syria".

Thames Valley Police Acting Deputy Chief Constable, John Campbell said: "We are extremely concerned for the safety of this family, especially the four young children.

"We are reaching out to Asif and Sara, in the hope that they hear our messages and we encourage them to make contact with us so we can return them safely to their families who are extremely worried about them.

"We would urge anyone with information about the family’s whereabouts to come forward and speak to police so the family can safely return to the UK.

"We would ask anyone who saw the family as they travelled to Dover, waiting at the port, on the ferry or when they arrived at Calais to contact the police. Any piece of information, no matter how small, could help the UK or European authorities to locate the family so that they can be safely returned home to their loved ones."

Anyone with information should call Thames Valley Police on 101 quoting reference number 342.

(MH/CD)