The Dutch jihadi who married British school girl Shamima Begum who ran away to Syria in 2015 has told the BBC he wants to return to the Netherlands with his wife and child.

Yago Riedijk, a Muslim convert from Arnhem, is currently being held in a Kurdish camp in Syria and has admitted fighting for Islamic State. He also says he was imprisoned and tortured after being accused of spying.

Asked why he felt it was okay to marry a girl who was 15 at the time, Riedijk told the BBC that he had been approached by a friend about the girl.

‘She seemed in a good state of mind but yes, she was very young,’ he said. ‘Maybe it would have been better to wait a bit but she chose to get married and I chose to marry her.’

Shamima Begum’s husband Yago Riedijk describes their marriage, arranged by the Islamic State Group. #ShamimaBegum #Isis pic.twitter.com/gllNgR1xba

— Quentin Sommerville (@sommervilletv) March 3, 2019

Riedijk, now 27, was sentenced to six years in jail in absentia last year and will be jailed if he returns to the Netherlands.

However, the Netherlands has made it clear it will not take action to bring IS fighters home.

Britain has stripped Begum of her British nationality but Riedijk, who is on the Dutch terrorism watch list, still has a Dutch passport. She and her newborn baby were being held at a different refugee camp to her husband but she has since gone underground after giving a series of high-profile interviews.

Riedijk told the BBC he wants to bring his wife and child back to the Netherlands, but according to the Dutch immigration service rules, the idea is a non-starter.

IND

To qualify for family reunification, both parties must be 21, and the Dutch partner must meet certain income requirements. It is also unclear if the Netherlands would recognise an Islamic marriage carried out in Syria.

The Dutch counter terrorism unit NCTV said last month that women and children who have spent time in IS held territory in Syria are a ‘real threat’ to the Netherlands.

Currently some 10 women and 25 children are being held in refugee camps in Syria and the government has said it will look at the options for bringing at least the children back.

Threat

‘These jihadi women present a real threat because they have been in the combat zone for several years and have filled facilitating roles,’ the report said. ‘Some of the children over the age of nine are also a threat, particularly if they have been trained or have combat experience.’

Of the 300 men and women who left the Netherlands for Syria and Iraq, around 55 have returned home and 85 have been killed, the AIVD security service said in February.

Some 135 people with ‘jihadist intentions’ remain in the region. In addition, there are 170 children in Syria and Iraq who are either Dutch or can make a claim on Dutch nationality.