Ottawa Says 'Disappointed' By UK Revoking Citizenship Of British-Canadian 'Jihadi Jack'

MOSCOW (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 19th August, 2019) Ottawa is "disappointed" that London unilaterally revoked citizenship of Jack Letts, a British-Canadian man who has been held captive by Syria's Kurds since 2017 on charges of being a member of the Islamic State terrorist organization (IS, outlawed in Russia), Canadian Public Safety Minister Ralph Goodale said on Sunday.

Letts, who was dubbed in media as Jihadi Jack, left the United Kingdom in 2014 to join the IS. He is known as reportedly the first white UK citizen identified as IS fighter. On Sunday, media reported that the Home Office stripped Letts of citizenship.

"Canada is disappointed that the United Kingdom has taken this unilateral action to off-load their responsibilities," Goodale said in a statement, circulated in Canadian media.

He added that Canada did not avoid its responsibilities, noting that investigating and prosecuting any Canadian involved in terrorism or violent extremism was the country's top priority.

The potential return of foreign terrorist fighters to their home countries and challenges associated with the returnees have been a pressing issue for several years. The matter was brought up by President Donald Trump back in February, when he urged European nations, including the United Kingdom, to take back more than 800 IS fighters captured by the United States in Syria, and put them on trial.

London believes that jihadists, their families and children should not be allowed back into the United Kingdom.