'Jihadi Jack' is a label invented by media, say worried parents

The mother of a young man reported to be the first white Briton to join Islamic State has said it is ridiculous to suggest her son is a terrorist.

Sally Letts said her son Jack, 20, from Oxford, was not a member of the Islamist organisation and had gone to Syria to do humanitarian work.

In an interview with the Guardian, she confirmed her son had been in Raqqa, the headquarters of Isis, but said newspaper reports that he had married, had a baby boy and was going by the name Ibrahim or Abu Mohammed were all false. Since the allegations appeared in the media, Jack Letts has posted denials on his Facebook page.

His father, John, said newspapers made up the nickname “Jihadi Jack” because it suited their agenda. “It’s so ridiculous,” he said. “It was made up. Everything is alleged.