Judges have caused controversy by ordering that the parents of nine children involved in plots to travel to Syria should have their identities hidden . They include three terror suspects who have all previously been named but now can not be identified to protect their youngsters from the glare of publicity . Also among the parents are a couple who lied to the authorities about losing their daughter ’ s passport . Scroll down for video . All smiles : Waheed Ahmed , son of Labour councillor Shakil Ahmed , after being held on the Syrian border . Critics argue that the parents should be named because they could be extremists and therefore a risk to other members of the public . One case involves a family of nine Britons – three men , two women and four children aged between one and 11 – who were caught trying to get into lawless Syria from Turkey last week . The group , from Rochdale , were led by 21-year-old politics undergraduate Waheed Ahmed , the son of Shakil Ahmed – a respected Labour councillor who was photographed with Ed Miliband just months ago . Anonymity orders were granted to shield the children from the glare of publicity . But the draconian orders mean three of the adults must also have their identities hidden even though they are terror suspects . In a separate case , the High Court banned the naming of five girls , aged 15 and 16 , who had their passports confiscated after they showed an interest in Islamic extremism . Four attended Bethnal Green Academy in East London while the fifth is home schooled . Counter-terrorism police have taken over the probe into the shooting of a Syrian imam in London amid fears he was murdered by a professional hit squad . Abdul Hadi Arwani , a fierce critic of Syrian leader Bashar al-Assad , was gunned down in Wembley as he sat in his car . Scotland Yard ’ s Homicide and Major Crime Command was leading the probe but counter-terrorism officers have taken over due to its potential ‘ international dimensions ’ . They are understood to be examining his links to groups which oppose the Syrian regime . The girls were granted anonymity because they were juveniles . But this means the identities of their parents must also be hidden behind a cloak of secrecy . These include the couple who lied to the authorities about their daughter ’ s passport . Police and social services had sought to seize it because they were concerned the teenager had been radicalised . Counter-terrorism officers wanted to ensure she did not follow in the footsteps of four other pupils from the school – Kadiza Sultana , Shamima Begum , Amira Abase and Sharmeena Begum – who ran away to join Islamic State . But when approached by police , social workers and teachers , her mother and father insisted the passport had disappeared and , in any case , had expired . Later , police discovered the girl ’ s passport remained valid until 2016 . A High Court judge said the failure to disclose the truth was ‘ manifestly highly relevant ’ in the decision to impose a travel ban on the vulnerable child . Mr Justice Hayden , sitting in the family division of the High Court , said : ‘ I have no doubt that misinformation about [ the girl ’ s ] passport had been given to the school , the police and to the social services , a fact which plainly is relevant in evaluating the matrix of risk. ’ Lured to jihad : Kadiza Sultana , 16 , left , Shamima Begum , 15 , centre , and Amira Abase , 15 , right , at Gatwick . He said the parents ‘ deliberately did not share [ information ] with the authorities ’ . Hannah Stuart , a research fellow for security think-tank the Henry Jackson Society , said granting anonymity to the three Rochdale terror suspects was ‘ like trying to put a cat back in a bag ’ as they had previously been named . But she said the Bethnal Green schoolgirls should not be named because ‘ the stigma will stay with them forever ’ . She also suggested the parents of one girl lied because of the malign influence of radical extremists and their apologists such as Muslim human rights group Cage , which supported Islamic State killer Jihadi John . ‘ These groups foment a belief within the Muslim community , whether out of ignorance or malice , that they should be fearful of the police , of the State , of counter-terrorism policies , and should not co-operate , ’ she said . Sorry we are not currently accepting comments on this article .
Parents of nine children involved in plots to travel to Syria are affected . They include three terror suspects who have all previously been named . Critics argue parents should be named because they could be extremists .