Family plead with Yusra Hussien to come home

The family of the 15-year-old girl missing from her home in Bristol have released an emotional statement urging her to come home.

Yusra Hussien, from Easton in Bristol, flew from Heathrow to Turkey last week with a 17-year-old girl from London, police said.

Her parents though have insisted there is no evidence for claims that she has become radicalised and planning on entering Syria to join with militant Islamic fighters.

In a press conference organised by police, the parents said in a statement: “We are making this heart-breaking appeal for our daughter, Yusra Hussien, who has been missing since Wednesday, September 24.

“As every day passes we become more and more concerned about her safety and welfare.

“Yusra, our daughter is a very young bright bubbly girl who is loved by not only her family but her peers, teachers and her community. She’s a typical teenager; she loves to play table tennis and to ride her bicycle and she used to run with her brother, who is the next Mo Farah.

“Our family is very heartbroken and we are struggling to come to terms with this situation.

“The pain that we as parents feel, at not knowing her safety, is very distressing, and is something we believe every parent can relate to.”

The family said they did not wish to comment on extremism or speculation the teenager had become radicalised online.

“There have been many assumptions and speculations claiming that Yusra is travelling to Syria, that she maybe an extremist, or that she is planning to become a jihadist bride all of which have not as of yet been proved with any concrete evidence,” they said.

“We would like to make a request to the media to not state anything which is both incorrect and not backed by evidence.

“Yusra we are missing you, if you are watching this please contact us, you are not in trouble and we are not angry with you. We just want you back home with us.”

“From your mother; Please dear Yusra, I love and I miss you, my heart is torn, and I want you home as soon as possible. Your brothers and baby sister are missing you and the house has not been the same since you left.

“From your father; Yusra, I’m not angry, I just want you to be safe. Please come back. We are working with the police to find you and we are praying to god that we will find you safe and bring you back home.

“We would just like to thank the Somali community and all the other communities that have shown us their support and love. We also want to give our gratitude to the police for their on-going support.”

Speaking at the conference, Chief Superintendent Jon Reilly, Bristol’s district commander, said the force would not be commenting on the investigation.

“The investigation’s priority remains finding Yusra and bringing her back to the UK as soon as we can,” he said.