The Charity Commission confirmed today that 86 charities are under scrutiny amid concerns that British aid organisations are funding Isis fighters in Syria. The separate cases include 37 organisations working to help victims of the crisis in Syria.

Four of those charities are under full statutory inquiry, including Children in Deen, Aid Convoy, Syria Aid and Al Fatiha Global - the charity that employed executed aid worker Alan Henning.

A spokeswoman for the Charity Commission told Civil Society News: “Given the nature of this work, we are restricted in terms of what we can say and disclose about our casework where there are concerns about abuse and links to extremism and terrorism and work with charities that may be at greater risk of abuse because of their activities or where they operate.

“In total, as at the end of September, there were 37 active cases dealing with regulatory issues or concerns connected to charities raising funds for or operating in Syria. These include the statutory inquiries referred to above.

“Our engagement with such charities is not an indication that there is evidence or abuse or wrongdoing but a recognition of the risks that charities face in operating in the area. It is also a reflection of the number of charities established or otherwise working to assist those affected by the Syria crisis either in Syria or neighbouring countries."

The Commission said a total of 86 charities are “of greater risk and more susceptible to abuse by virtue of their activities or where they operate”.

The number of cases being examined by the Commission that relate to terrorism has almost doubled since February.

William Shawcross, chair of the Charity Commission, told the Daily Telegraph newspaper that there is “a risk” that money donated by the British public to charities in Syria has ended up in the hands of Isis fighters.

"It is absolutely terrifying to see these young British men going out to be trained in Syria and coming back here,” he said.

“Most of them are not going out under the auspices of charities but, when that happens, it is absolutely our duty to come down on it.

"Even if extremist and terrorist abuse is rare, which it is, when it happens it does huge damage to public trust in charities. That’s why I take it very seriously.

"If we find any evidence of it happening through charities we will pursue it robustly in conjunction with the police and other law enforcement agencies.”

Shawcross said a particular concern for the Commission is the large number of small, new charities set up to raise money for victims of the Syrian crisis. Aid convoys delivering supplies to the region were also especially vulnerable, he told The Telegraph. 

*This story has been changed to clarify that the 86 charities are all separate cases and not part of a single investigation.