Thames police have issued a public appeal seeking information to trace a family of six, including four children, who are believed to be travelling to Syria.
The local police have setup an alert to trace the family from Slough, Berkshire, who were reported missing to police on 16 April. The police believe that the family fled to Syria to join jihadist groups, such as Isis, on 7 April.
The Thames Valley Police, on Sunday issued a lookout notice for missing persons: Asif Malik (31), his wife Sara Kiran (29) and their four children -- girl Zoha Malik (7), and boys Essa Malik (4), Zakariya Malik (2) and Yhaya Malik (1).
The family members reportedly told the police that their disappearance was "entirely out of character".
Local police investigating the matter believe that the family is travelling to Syria to join Islamic State (Isis). John Campbell, Thames Valley police acting deputy chief constable in a statement expressed concern for the safety of the children.
"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. We encourage them to make contact with us so we can return them safely to their families who are extremely worried about them," Campbell said in a press statement.
Police investigators have found that Asif and Sara, along with the children, first travelled south through Europe, possibly by train and then travelled through Budapest, Hungary, on or around 12 April.
A Thames Valley police spokesman also issued a statement warning people against travelling to Syria. "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 children should be taken," the spokesperson said.
A recent report in New York Times noted that there are more number of Muslim men joining Isis than are serving in the British armed forces. It is estimated that there are around 4,000 Isis recruits from Western nations and of this some 600 to 700 are from Britain alone. The report also noted that many of the fighters from Britain come from comfortable middle-class homes.
