Islamic State bride Shamima Begum could face the death penalty for involvement in terrorism if she goes to Bangladesh, the country’s foreign minister has said.
Abdul Momen said Bangladesh had “nothing to do” with Begum, and warned she could be “hanged”.
Begum, 19, was one of three schoolgirls to leave Bethnal Green in east London to join Islamic State (IS) in 2015.
In February, she was stripped of her British citizenship by Home Secretary Sajid Javid after she resurfaced at a refugee camp in Syria.
Under international law it is illegal to revoke someone’s citizenship if it leaves them stateless.
It was thought Begum had a claim to Bangladeshi citizenship through her family, but Bangladeshi officials have denied this.
Speaking to ITV News, Dr Momen said: “We have nothing to do with Shamima Begum. She is not a Bangladeshi citizen.
“She never applied for Bangladeshi citizenship. She was born in England and her mother is British.
“If anyone is found to be involved with terrorism, we have a simple rule: there will be capital punishment. And nothing else.
“She would be put in prison and immediately the rule is she should be hanged.”
The issue of Begum’s citizenship arose when she declared she wanted to return home from the Syrian refugee camp, ahead of the fall of IS’s self-proclaimed territorial caliphate.
“If anyone is found to be involved with terrorism, we have a simple rule: there will be capital punishment. And nothing else”
- Abdul Momen
She gave birth to a baby boy, Jarrah, in the camp, who died aged less than three weeks.
Javid faced criticism in the wake of the child’s death, who was a British citizen regardless of his mother’s status.
Sajid Javid defended his decision to remove Begum’s citizenship and said the Government could not assist British nationals in Syria as there is no consular presence there.
In March, it was reported that her family have begun legal proceedings to challenge the Home Secretary’s move.
The Government has said it would not comment on individual cases and that decisions to deprive individuals of their citizenship are based on “all available evidence” and are “not taken lightly”.