A British woman who was captured in Syria by al-Qaida militants and held for seven months has been released after alerting lawyers in the UK to her plight by using the messaging service WhatsApp.

The 31-year-old from from east London was detained in territory controlled by the al-Nusra Front, which is al-Qaida’s franchise in Syria. She was freed after negotiations with al-Nusra, who agreed to let her go because of her history of mental illness, those involved with the negotiations said.

She was reunited with her brother in Turkey on Sunday after he travelled out to help secure her release. The woman is described as being in poor health after her ordeal.

The Foreign Office in London said it was aware of the release of the woman, who is not being named, and it was offering consular assistance. No ransom was paid, according to those involved.

The woman was held in a house by the extremists, but managed to get a mobile phone and send a voice message via WhatsApp to the London solicitor Tasnime Akunjee.

Akunjee, who is travelling towards Istanbul with the woman and her brother, said the negotiations had taken a fortnight and all-Nusra had acted reasonably.

“They took into account the humanitarian issues and agreed to release her once we have proven our credentials and history of mental illness,” he said.



The woman had been detained in Harem after crossing the border into Syria. She is believed to have been teaching English to support herself.

She was released to charity workers last Thursday and then travelled overland into Turkey. Akunjee said her brother was “overcome with emotion” to see his sister again.

Akunjee is the solicitor for the families of three east London schoolgirls who fled to join Isis this year.

He said the woman’s release was unlikely to offer hope to the families of Britons who have fled to Isis-controlled Syria: “Nusra are easier to deal with than Isis,” he said.

The woman is expected to return to the UK soon.