Brit ISIS fighter Jihadi Jack issues desperate plea from Syrian jail to be sent to Canada as mum slams UK government
A BRIT terrorist known as “Jihadi Jack” has begged to be repatriated to a Canadian prison instead of being sent a Syrian prison camp.
In his first TV interview since 2019, Oxford born Jack Letts, 29, said he would have “no problem” being sent to a prison in Canada.
The alleged IS fighter has been detained in Syria for seven-and-a-half-years, and was found by a television crew in a prison new Raqqa.
Speaking to CTV News’ W5, Letts pleaded to be taken to Canada and denied he had ever been an IS member.
He said: “At least let me rot in a prison in Canada.”
“Was I an ISIS member? No. A lot of things I said a long time ago because I was scared.
“I can’t say everything because I am still in prison.”
He added: “I spoke to people who gave me the impression that ISIS wasn’t what people said it was… As soon as I got there, I realised they weren’t what I thought.
“Without exaggerating, more than 20 of my close friends were killed by ISIS.”
His mum, Sally Lane, said there had been a clear deterioration in his condition.
Speaking to Middle East Eye, she said: “I was shocked at Jack’s condition, and how distressed and clearly traumatised he is,’ said Lane.
“I am so angry at the Canadian and British governments that they think it’s okay to completely destroy him as a human being.
“Jack is going to die if they don’t repatriate him. They know this, and still they do nothing.”
The dual British and Canadian citizen fled his Oxfordshire home in 2014 to fight for IS after declaring himself an “enemy of Britain”.
Letts was 18 when he fled to Syria and wed an Iraqi woman.
He was held by Kurdish-led forces in 2017 and begged to be returned to Oxford, saying he posed no threat.
The UK revoked his passport in 2019 but he has Canadian citizenship via his dad.
At the time, Muslim convert said it was not “big deal” that he was no longer a UK citizen.
He said: “I’m not surprised, I was expecting something like this to be honest.
“I’ve been here for two-and-a-half years and the British Government has not helped me at all.
“Even if they didn’t strip me of my citizenship, it’s like I’m not a British citizen anyway.
“These things they have very little meaning to me, to be honest,” he added.
“I don’t think having British citizenship is a big deal.”
PARENT’S FURY
His father John Letts, 58, insisted that interviews given by the jihadi were done so “under duress,” but ITV insist that he was more than happy to speak on camera as he snubbed Britain.
His dad also challenged Sajid Javid’s decision to strip Letts of his citizenship, asking him to explain his reasoning for “secretly” slashing the government’s ties with his son.
The organic farmer, who is Canadian, told Channel 4: “Justice doesn’t seem to be able to happen here.
“I thought we had the right to innocent until proven guilty, the right of a trial, the right of free speech.
“I think it’s maybe Sajid that’s a bit of a coward and in denial and naive, and obviously it’s his last act (as home secretary) and he can move on and not have to even justify it.
The jihadi’s Brit mum, Sally Lane has accused Javid of leaving her son hanging in “a legal black hole.”
The 57-year-old said: “It was a real shock that your Government can do this to you without any form of redress or discussion or way of actually contacting Jack, given that he’s being held incommunicado and has no access to a lawyer.
“Jack and other people are now in a legal black hole.
“I think Jack wants to come back to whatever country will take him.”
PARENTS CONVICTED
John and his wife Sally, wired £223 to their Muslim convert son even though they had every reason to believe he had joined the barbarous terror group in Syria.
The couple had been told by Jack Letts he wanted to behead British soldiers in an ISIS terror attack but denied knowing he had links to the extremists.
They were today found guilty at the Old Bailey of funding terrorism in September 2015 but not guilty of the same charge in December 2015 when they attempted to send another £1,500.
Jurors were discharged after they were unable to decide on a third charge relating to an attempt to send £500 in January 2016.
The couple were spared a maximum 14-year jail sentence and were instead handed 15 months’ imprisonment suspended for 12 months.
Speaking after the case, the couple said in an emotional statement: “We tried to do the right thing. We fully cooperated with the police and asked them repeatedly for help.
“They promised they would help us, but instead of helping us, they used the information we provided to prosecute us.”
SNUBBED BY CANADA
Sally Lane said she “screamed” at her terrorist son when she found out he had travelled to Syria and said: “How could you be so stupid? You will get killed. You will be beheaded.”
John Letts says he begged his son to come home, telling him: “A father should never live to see his son buried.”
He went on to accuse him of being a “pawn … helping spread hatred, pain, anger, suffering and violence”.
Letts was entitled to citizenship through his Canadian father John but was born in the UK and grew up in rural Oxfordshire with HIS organic farmer dad and British mum Sally.
In 2023, it was revealed that Letts was among four men whose families won court backing for a return to the country.
He was expected to be repatriated to Canada, after the country had already agreed to take back six women and 13 children, also being held in camps in Syria.
At the time of the news, his mum Sally, who now lives in Canada said she was “overjoyed”.
She said: “We’ve been battling to get Jack back for so long.”