UK Police investigate athlete Mo Farah's claim he was child trafficked
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The Met Police investigate the trafficking revelation of Sir Mo Farah, and the UK Home Office assures the athlete he will keep his UK citizenship.
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UK Police investigate athlete Mo Farah's claim he was child trafficked
An investigation was launched by the UK Metropolitan Police on Thursday into a child trafficking case involving British athlete Mo Farah.
A BBC documentary that was aired on Wednesday shows Farah confessing to being smuggled as a child from Somalia into the United Kingdom by human traffickers adding he was forced to work as a domestic servant.
Farah revealed that his birth name was Hussein Abdi Kahin. According to the athlete, a woman he had never met before brought him to the UK and had fake documents of him including the name of Mohamed Farah and his picture.
"We are aware of reports in the media concerning Sir Mo Farah. No reports have been made to the MPS [Metropolitan Police Service] at this time … Specialist officers have opened an investigation and are currently assessing the available information," the police said in a statement cited by the BBC.
Farah expressed concerns in the documentary about the possibility of being deprived of his UK citizenship after this revelation about how he entered the country. However, the UK Home Office said that no action will be taken against him.
"There will be no action taken against Sir Mo, and to suggest otherwise is incorrect," a spokesperson said.
The documentary concludes with Farah speaking to the real Mohamed Farah, whose identity he assumed upon entering the UK, before stating that Farah will continue to go by the name he was given upon entering the UK.
The athlete, 39, had claimed in the past that he left Somalia when he was eight years old with his parents as a refugee.
