UK authorities criticised following news London girls joining ISIS had contact with Glaswegian jihadi bride

Mr Anwar, who is the Mahmood family’s solicitor, said the UK authorities did not inform the girls’ families of the contact.

He added that radicalisation must be dealt with as a matter of child protection and said parents should be informed immediately when the police believe their child may be at risk.

Mr Anwar’s comments come as the families of the girls, Shammima Begum, 15, Kadiza Sultana, 16 and Amira Abase, 15 pleaded with them to come back home.

The girls are believed to have travelled to Syria via Turkey last Tuesday and also to have been recruited by Miss Mahmood after one of them made contact with her.

Mr Anwar said: “We know from the police that they regularly monitor Aqsa’s online accounts so they would have been well aware of this contact.

“The fact that they didn’t contact the girl’s family to let them know suggests that either there has been monumental incompetence on the part of the security services or they simply don’t give a damn.

“If a child went missing and it turned out the police were aware that she had been contacted by a known paedophile, but had not told the parents, there would be a public outcry. This case is just like that, this is child abuse.

“These are 15-year-old girls we’re talking about and what will happen to them is that they will not be allowed to leave once they meet up with ISIS.

“They will have their passports torn up and they will be required to marry an ISIS jihadi.

“Why is it that this isn’t being treated as a child protection issue?”

He also asked why the girls had not been stopped by airport authorities before getting the Turkish Airlines flight at London Gatwick.

“Here we have two 15-year-old girls and a 16-year-old, dressed conservatively and wearing the Hijab, travelling to Turkey alone without their parents,” he said.

“Surely this should have raised alarm bells?”

He added: “I’m calling for an inquiry into this. The families of Aqsa and these three girls have a right to know exactly what the security services knew and what lessons can be learned for the future to stop young people going off to join Isis.”

As for Miss Mahmood’s family, Mr Anwar said they were horrified by the news.

He said: “The family of Aqsa Mahmood are full of horror and anger that their daughter may have had a role to play in the recruitment of these young girls to ISIS.

“They are not sure how much more misery that Aqsa can inflict on her own family but the fact that she is now accused of destroying other families is beyond the pale.

“However the security services have serious questions to answer - Aqsa’s social media has been monitored since she disappeared over a year ago, yet despite alleged contact between the girls and Aqsa, they failed to stop them from leaving the UK to Turkey a staging post for Syria.

“Sadly despite all the government’s rhetoric on ISIS, if they can’t even take basic steps to stop children leaving to join ISIS, what is the point of any new laws?

“As for Aqsa - you are a disgrace to your family and the people of Scotland, your actions are a perverted and evil distortion of Islam.

“You are killing your family every day with your actions, they are begging you stop if you ever loved them.”