Removing Shamima Begum's citizenship after she went to Syria left her stateless and at risk of hanging, a UK court has heard. Her lawyer said Ms Begum, now 20, is in "an incredibly fragile and dangerous" position in a Syrian refugee camp. After leaving London as a 15-year-old, Begum lived under the rule of Islamic State group for three years, before being found in February. The Home Office denies that the decision left her stateless. It says that she could claim Bangladeshi nationality through her family, but her lawyers told the court that Bangladesh said it will not allow Begum into the country and she would face hanging if she tried to enter secretly. A four-day preliminary hearing is taking place at the Special Immigration Appeals Commission, a semi-secret court that deals with cases

where the UK government wants to keep someone out of the country on national security grounds.

In submissions to the court, Begum’s lawyers said she had only professed sympathy for the Islamic State group in media interviews to protect herself and her newborn son, who later died in the refugee camp. In February 2015, Begum left Bethnal Green in east London for Syria with two friends.

Within days she had crossed the Turkish border and eventually reached the IS headquarters at Raqqa, where she was married to a Dutch convert recruit. They had three children - all of whom have since died.

After she was found in February, former Home Secretary Sajid Javid stripped her of her UK citizenship.

Tom Hickman QC told the court that Begum was challenging the decision on three grounds, including that it had made his client stateless.He also argued that removing her citizenship led to a “real risk of death” or suffering other human rights abuses.