text: A father who is feared to have fled to Syria with his partner and four young children was a member of a banned extremist group, it was reported last night. Asif Malik, 31, his partner Sara Kiran, 29, their daughter Zoha, seven, and their three sons Essa, four, Zakariva, two, and Yahya, one, were all caught on camera on a cross-Channel ferry. They left their home in Slough, Berkshire, without mentioning any holiday or travel plans to family members, which is out of character, police said. Scroll down for video . Detectives have released CCTV footage of   Asif Malik, 31, his partner Sara Kiran, 29, and their four young children, who have been reported missing from Britain, at a busy ferry port as they apparently head to Syria . Police say Mr Malik (pictured with one of his young children) had told his family he wanted to 'go and live in a Muslim country' and the family left without mentioning any holiday or travel plans to relatives, it is claimed . Members of Mr Malik's family tonight said they had been left 'completely devastated' and issued a desperate plea for the six to return home. In a statement, they said: 'We are totally distraught, upset and in shock' Police have warned that the Muslim family, who were last seen in Slough, Berkshire on April 7, may be heading to Syria. They are pictured at Dover port before catching a ferry to Calais, France on April 8 . The family, from Slough in Berkshire, are believed to have boarded the Dover to Calais ferry just after midnight on April 8 before travelling south through Europe including to Budapest in Hungary on April 12 . Protest: Malik, seen holding the 'hands off Muslims!' sign, outside Regents Park Mosque last year - next to him is Abu Rumaysah who jumped bail to flee to Syria . But radical preacher Anjem Choudary said yesterday Malik was a member of the banned group Al-Muhajiroun and a 'champion for sharia' who regularly attended the group's demonstrations. Neighbours said the family were known to police and had been questioned on suspicion of terrorist involvement four years ago. Uniformed police waited for the family for three days before talking to them, they said. There will now be questions for police after they failed to stop a suspected extremist from slipping out of the country with his family. Choudary said Malik remained 'very influential in the community' after Al-Muhajiroun was banned five years ago. 'Back in the day he was a member until the group was banned. He was still part of our demonstrations and lectures but I hadn't seen him for a few months,' he told The Daily Telegraph. 'Asif is a very good friend of mine. I haven't seen him for a while but from what I gather in the reports he and his family have left the country.' He added: 'He is a very studious man, a very good Muslim character. He was always a champion for sharia and is very influential in the community.' Choudary also criticised the Government for trying to restrict British Muslims from travelling to Syria. 'I think they want to live under sharia and escape the oppressive life they have in this country and under this government,' he added. Asif Malik (left), 31, and his partner Sara Kiran (right), 29, were reported missing from Slough, Berkshire, after their childrenl failed to show up to school and their grandmother became worried about their whereabouts . Zoha Malik (left), seven, and Essa Malik (right), four, are among the family's four children who are missing . The family were last seen on Tuesday, April 7, and were captured on CCTV boarding a ferry from Dover to Calais on Wednesday, April 8. They are believed to have travelled south through Europe by train and were seen in Budapest on Sunday, April 12, before making their way to Turkey. Relatives reported them missing to police on Thursday and officers are concerned they may be seeking to travel to Syria. Last night, Malik's family said they were 'completely devastated' by the family's sudden decision to leave Britain. 'All we wish for is your safe return and especially the return of the children. We are not angry with you, we are just heartbroken,' they said in an appeal to him. Zakariya Malik (left), two, and Yhaya Malik (right), one, were last seen with their family in Berkshire on April 7 . Mr Malik and Miss Kiran's last known address in Slough was in this block of flats (pictured on the left, above) Neighbours said today that police had broken down the door on Thursday night to enter the family's home . Thames Valley Police's Acting Deputy Chief Constable, John Campbell, said it was a 'real concern' they had reached Syria. 'I'm not suggesting for one moment that they are intending to join Islamic State,' he said. 'At the same time we know that [relatives] have voiced some concerns about the family's intentions. There's been a suggestion that [Malik] in the past has said that he would like to live in a Muslim state.' Acting deputy chief constable John Campbell (pictured at a press conference in Kidlington today) said Thames Valley Police is 'extremely concerned for the safety of this family, especially the four young children' The alarm was raised when some of the children failed to attend Claycots Primary School in Slough . Yesterday, the family's next-door neighbour said they had been in trouble with the police four years ago. He added: 'People were saying that they were extremists and that police were listening in on their phone calls. I think they were under surveillance. 'The police sat in the stairwell for three days waiting for them. 'It's such a shame. Those kids are now in danger because of what their parents believe in.'
target: Asif Malik, 31, Sara Kiran, 29, and their four children last seen on April 7 .
  Left Slough, headed to Calais by ferry and then took train across Europe .
  They have three boys aged one, two and four, and a seven-year-old girl .
  Thames Valley Police 'extremely concerned for the safety of this family'
  Anyone with information should call Thames Valley Police quoting reference 342 (19/4).