SHAMIMA BEGUM was smuggled into Syria by an agent working for Canadian intelligence, according to a new book that has prompted fresh calls for her to be allowed to return to Britain. 

Ms Begum, who was 15 when she and two other east London schoolgirls — Kadiza Sultana, 16 and Amira Abase, 15 — travelled to Syria in 2015, are said to have been trafficked there by a people-smuggler who was working as a double agent for Islamic State and Canada. 

The shocking revelations, detailed in Richard Kerbaj’s book, The Secret History of the Five Eyes, published on Thursday, also include suggestions that Britain conspired with Canada to cover up its role in the smuggling operation. 

Canada recruited Mohammed al-Rasheed when he applied for asylum at the Canadian embassy in Jordan. He went on to smuggle dozens more Britons and organise the travel of people into Syria, the book claims. 

During the international search for the girls by the Metropolitan Police, Canada allegedly did not inform the British authorities of its role in the operation. 

Canada then privately told Britain after fearing its role was going to be exposed, and asked the British authorities to cover up its involvement in the affair, the book claims. 

The reports have sparked renewed criticism of the British government’s decision in 2019 to strip Ms Begum of her citizenship, which was upheld by the Supreme Court last year. 

Her lawyers are launching an appeal against the decision in November on the grounds that she was groomed and trafficked to Syria, where she continues to live in a detention camp. 

Cage’s head of public advocacy Anas Mustapha said the claim “underlines the sheer cruelty of the citizenship deprivation in their cases.” 

“The government was aware of these facts, and that they were children, yet still went ahead and deprived them of their citizenship, leaving them stateless and entirely at the mercy of their captors and abusers,” he said. 

Reprieve’s director Maya Foa said: “These revelations pose concerning questions about what the UK government knew about Shamima’s trafficking — and when they knew it. 

“The government has failed these women and girls time and again. It failed to prevent them being trafficked and it is failing in its duty to them as trafficking victims. 

“For the sake of a few tabloid headlines, it has abandoned them in life-threatening conditions and is fighting to deny them access to British justice.

“Our allies recognise that this failed policy makes us all less safe. Britain must follow their example and repatriate its nationals as a matter of urgency.”

Lawyer for the Begum family Tasnime Akunjee has called for an inquiry into what police and intelligence services knew about the activities of the Canadians. He said the reports suggest intelligence-gathering was “prioritised over the lives of children.”

Ms Begum’s case has been used by ministers to justify moves to strengthen citizen deprivation powers, contained in the new Nationality and Borders Act, which were widely opposed by human rights and anti-racism groups.