Man who spied on Al Qaeda says daughter was forced out of Edinburgh private school

A former spy who worked against Al Qaeda has said his 5-year-old daughter was forced to leave a prestigious private girl's school in Scotland owing to the behaviour of parents and teachers.

Aimen Dean has registered a complaint with the Registrar of Independent Schools over how his daughter was treated at St George's School in Edinburgh.

She joined the school in 2019 after Mr Dean and his wife Saadia settled in Scotland having fallen in love with the country's Highlands.

He said he told St George's about his background in December 2019 and MI5 gave assurances that there was no security risk to the school.

But he said he was forced to drop his child off at different times to other children and received "sneering looks" from parents at the gates.

He told The Guardian that the school had a "toxic environment" and that his daughter was shouted at by staff in an incident that affected her confidence.

Mr Dean also said he tried to enrol his son, who has autism, at the school's nursery but this application was rejected, despite initial assurances from staff that it would be successful.

School authorities told Mr Dean that his son would be better off at a school in the Middle East, saying it would be better for "the well-being of both your kids”.

Mr Dean said he was barred from the school after making disparaging comments to parents on a WhatsApp group.

St George's has said it “strongly disputed” the allegations.

Mr Dean, who is now a British citizen, joined Al Qaeda as a bomb maker after fighting in Bosnia.

He turned against the terrorist group after atrocities in Kenya and became a key asset for western intelligence agencies after 9/11. Hew worked with MI6 for eight years.

He passed on vital intelligence that exposed the group's financing and bomb-making capabilities.

A spokesman for St George's said: “We are co-operating with the inquiry and have every confidence that once the registrar has considered the matter, St George’s will be found to have acted fully in accordance with all relevant safeguarding and regulatory procedures.”

If you go

The flights Etihad (www.etihad.com) and Spice Jet (www.spicejet.com) fly direct from Abu Dhabi and Dubai to Pune respectively from Dh1,000 return including taxes. Pune airport is 90 minutes away by road.

The hotels A stay at Atmantan Wellness Resort (www.atmantan.com) costs from Rs24,000 (Dh1,235) per night, including taxes, consultations, meals and a treatment package.

10 tips for entry-level job seekers

Have an up-to-date, professional LinkedIn profile. If you don’t have a LinkedIn account, set one up today. Avoid poor-quality profile pictures with distracting backgrounds. Include a professional summary and begin to grow your network.
Keep track of the job trends in your sector through the news. Apply for job alerts at your dream organisations and the types of jobs you want – LinkedIn uses AI to share similar relevant jobs based on your selections.
Double check that you’ve highlighted relevant skills on your resume and LinkedIn profile.
For most entry-level jobs, your resume will first be filtered by an applicant tracking system for keywords. Look closely at the description of the job you are applying for and mirror the language as much as possible (while being honest and accurate about your skills and experience).
Keep your CV professional and in a simple format – make sure you tailor your cover letter and application to the company and role.
Go online and look for details on job specifications for your target position. Make a list of skills required and set yourself some learning goals to tick off all the necessary skills one by one.
Don’t be afraid to reach outside your immediate friends and family to other acquaintances and let them know you are looking for new opportunities.
Make sure you’ve set your LinkedIn profile to signal that you are “open to opportunities”. Also be sure to use LinkedIn to search for people who are still actively hiring by searching for those that have the headline “I’m hiring” or “We’re hiring” in their profile.
Prepare for online interviews using mock interview tools. Even before landing interviews, it can be useful to start practising.
Be professional and patient. Always be professional with whoever you are interacting with throughout your search process, this will be remembered. You need to be patient, dedicated and not give up on your search. Candidates need to make sure they are following up appropriately for roles they have applied.

Arda Atalay, head of Mena private sector at LinkedIn Talent Solutions, Rudy Bier, managing partner of Kinetic Business Solutions and Ben Kinerman Daltrey, co-founder of KinFitz