A Bangladeshi-origin family in Britain is being investigated by the Scotland Yard after it emerged that four of its members may have travelled to Syria to fight with the dreaded Islamic State (IS) militant group.
The alleged jihadists include two siblings aged 17 and 20 from Camden in north London, and their cousins aged 19 and 22 from the West Midlands region in the north of England, according to 'The Sunday Times.'
The four relatives, who are Britons of Bangladeshi origin, are believed to have flown together from London to the Turkish capital of Istanbul before apparently crossing the border into Syria.
The young men travelled via Milan in a possible attempt to mask their intentions.
Their journey took place in September, when the West began bombing IS positions in Syria, the newspaper said.
The Metropolitan Police are examining whether two of the men, Mejanul and Kamran Islam, brothers from Wednesbury in the West Midlands, may have been radicalised by an extremist who recently urged youths to support IS.
The sudden disappearance of the men has shocked their families.
Saydul Islam, father of Mejanul and Kamran, said his sons had told him they were visiting relatives in London before they vanished.
Scotland Yard opened its inquiry after the brothers from Camden were reported missing by their parents.
Counter-terrorist police have subsequently carried out searches at two properties in London and at the Islam family home, a semi-detached house in Wednesbury.
More than 500 British Muslims are said to have travelled to Syria and Iraq to join jihadist groups.
If the two sets of siblings who recently headed to the region have taken up arms they would constitute the largest number of fighters from a single British family.
