London Syria

There is "no evidence" three girls who ran away to join Islamic State militants in Syria have committed any terrorist offences, MPs have heard.

Asst Commissioner Mark Rowley told the Home Affairs Select Committee that the girls would be able to return to their families if they returned to the UK.

Counter-terrorism police are taking down around 1,000 sites a week believed to be contributing to radicalising people to extremist views, MPs have been told - though the people behind them remain mostly at large.

Metropolitan Police chief Sir Bernard Hogan-Howe said officers had several lines of inquiry about people trying to radicalise people towards extremist views, and who may have been involved in recruiting three teenage girls who ran away to join militants in Syria.

He said efforts were being made to prevent radicalisation in prisons and communities, but said the internet was an emerging and growing problem.

He said officers were "sometimes" able to track down those behind the sites, but often they were based overseas, which made things more difficult.

London's police chief has admitted that a lack of Muslim staff in government's Prevent scheme is a problem when trying to tackle radicalisation.

Sir Bernard Hogan-Howe, Metropolitan Police Commissioner, said of 32,000 police officer there were just 300 Muslim officers - and said he realised the ratio was small compared to the Muslim population of London as a whole.

London's chief of police has apologised to the families of three girls who ran away to Syria that a letter warning them of the risk of radicalisation did not reach them as intended.

Speaking to the Home Affairs Select Committee, Metropolitan Police Commissioner Sir Bernard Hogan-Howe said:

He said the girls were only spoken to as part of an investigation into another girl who went to Syria, and said neither the trio's family, the police, nor the school realised they planned to join her.

Not enough is being done to let parents and families know the warning signs of radicalisation, MPs have been told.

Abase Hussein, the father of one of the three girls who ran away to join Islamic State militants in Syria, said he still would not recognise the signs, even after his experience.

Sahmina Begum and Fahmida Aziz both agreed, and said they felt the responsibility should like with schools as the "most trusted" source of information.

There was "no sign" that three girls had been radicalised before they ran away to join Islamic State militants in Syria - and no clue as to how they paid to travel there, MPs have heard.

The families of the three schoolgirls who disappeared together said they did not see any noticeable change in behaviour - not their religious devotion, everyday behaviour nor use of social media.

Fahmida Aziz, cousin of 16-year-old Kadiza Sultana, said they were also at a loss to explain how they got hold of the money to pay for the flights to Turkey, which would have cost more than £1,000.

MPs at the Home Affairs Select Committee also heard that after the first girl ran away, risk assessments should have been done on the seven girls believed to be at risk - but this was not done, and still has not been done on two younger sisters of the girls, who attend the same school.