British benefits being used 'fraudulently' to fund IS terror activities: counterterrorism official

A British counterterrorism official has revealed that the taxpayers' money in Britain is being claimed illegally and sent to the Islamic State (IS) in Iraq and Syria.

Terri Nicholson, from the Metropolitan Police's counter-terrorism command unit, said that the unit has come across a number of such cases recently. Terrorists are using "innovative methods" to send cash abroad, she said, reported The Daily Star.

Nicholson said that the money is being sourced from online fraud and by abusing the benefits system and student loans and are then being sent to fund IS terror activities.

She also added that women were being used to smuggle cash out of Britain as they provoke less suspicion.

A British woman named Amal El Wahabi, mother of two, was jailed earlier this month for more than two years for trying to smuggle 16,000 pounds to her husband who is believed to be a jihadist fighting in Syria. She duped her friend, Nawal Msaad, into carrying the cash in her underwear.

While the Members of Parliament termed the revelation "sickening," Chairman of the Commons home affairs committee Keith Vaz is set to seek an explanation from Home Secretary Theresa May over the "shocking" disclosure.