Police are increasingly concerned for a family of six, including four young children, who have gone missing and may be heading to Syria.
Asif Malik, 31, and his partner Sara Kiran, 29, left their family home in Slough, Berkshire, with their children on 7 April without informing their family and friends or mentioning any holiday or travel plans. Police said Malik had previously expressed a wish to live in a Muslim country.
They were reported missing to police on Thursday, more than a week after they were last seen at their home, and appeared to be travelling south across Europe by rail towards Turkey.
In a statement issued through police, Malik’s family said: “With the reality that our loved one, Asif Malik, and his family have left the UK without any notice, our lives have been completely devastated.
“We are totally distraught, upset and in shock. The greatest sadness is the decision by Asif and Sara to travel with their young family, such beautiful children.
“Please Asif, we ask you to think about what has happened and the decisions you have made. Please can you ring us or send us a message to let us know that you and the children are well. All we wish for is your safe return and especially the return of the children. We are not angry with you, we are just heartbroken.
“We ask that if there are others out there considering leaving the UK in this manner, please consider the impact on the family members that you leave behind.”
The family asked the media to “respect our privacy at this tragic time”.
On Sunday it was claimed that Asif Malik had been a member of the banned radical group al-Muhajiroun. The group’s former leader, Anjem Choudary, described Malik as a “champion for sharia [Islamic law]” who regularly attended the group’s events and demonstrations before it was proscribed in 2010.
Thames Valley police have established that the couple, their daughter Zoha, seven, and sons Essa, four, Zakariya, two and Yhaya, one, boarded a ferry from Dover to Calais on 8 April. The force also believe the family may have travelled through Budapest on or around 12 April.
“Given the online rhetoric from the Islamic State encouraging people to travel to Syria, the direction of travel and concerns voiced by Asif’s family, Thames Valley police is concerned the family may be seeking to travel to Syria,” the force said in a statement.
Its acting deputy chief constable, John Campbell, urged the family to get in touch to reassure relatives they were safe and well. He told a press conference: “I’m not suggesting for one moment that they are intending to join Islamic State. I don’t think there’s anything to suggest that.
“We know that having gone into Europe, their general direction of travel is towards Turkey, thereby we make the assumption towards Syria.
“At the same time we know that the [wider] family have voiced some concerns about the family’s intentions. There’s been a suggestion that Mr Asif in the past has said that he would like to live in a Muslim state.”
Pressed on whether that meant a caliphate, Campbell replied: “I didn’t say that.” He stressed, however, that it was “highly unusual behaviour”. While it was entirely legitimate for a family to choose to live elsewhere, the police were “guided by family interpretations in many ways”, he said.
The family left their second-floor flat without informing their daughter’s school or their landlord, and have not been in touch with relatives despite having their mobile phones. Police used a battering ram to enter the flat, and are now examining evidence to see if anything can help locate the family.
Campbell refused to be drawn on whether police had had previous contact with the family, but said that given the length of time since they left there was “real concern” they could already be in Syria.
“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 message and we encourage them to make contact with us so we can return them safely to their families who are extremely worried about them,” said Campbell.
He appealed to anyone with information, no matter how apparently insignificant, to come forward, including anyone who saw the family on the Dover ferry or at Calais.
Police had been working with Malik’s wider family since the six were reported missing, he said.
“We are concerned about anyone who has or is intending to travel to the part of Syria that is controlled by the terrorist group calling themselves Islamic State. It is an extremely dangerous place and not a place where young people should be taken,” he said.
“The choice of returning home from Syria is often taken away from those under the control of Islamic State, leaving families in the UK devastated and with very few options to secure their loved ones’ safe return … Asif and Sara need to know their family are very concerned and want them to return to the UK.”
Choudary said he had no information on the family’s plans, but said Malik remained “very influential in the community” after al-Muhajiroun was proscribed.
“Asif is a very good friend of mine. I haven’t seen him for a while, but from what I gather in the reports he and his family have left the country,” he said.
“I last saw him a couple of months ago. He used to attend my lectures in Slough and west London. He attended many lectures over the years and is a very good friend.
“He is a very studious man, a very good Muslim character. He was always a champion for sharia and is very influential in the community.”
The pair had been friends for about 10 years, he added.
Anyone with information should call Thames Valley police on 101, quoting reference number 342 (19/4) or from outside the UK by calling 0044 1865 841 148.
