Three missing London schoolgirls are believed to be headed to Syria to join the Islamic State, and authorities are in a race to stop them.
Shamima Begum, 15, Kadiza Sultana, 16, and an unnamed 15-year-old girl flew from Gatwick airport on Tuesday after giving their families "plausible reasons as to why they would be out for the day," London Metro Police said. Before fleeing, they had reportedly been in contact with a British friend who had travelled to Syria in December to marry a jihadist.
According to airport security's surveillance footage, the three "close friends" were seen boarding a Turkish Airlines flight to Istanbul, Turkey that landed at about 6:40 p.m. local time, BBC News reported.
Now, authorities fear the "straight-A students" may cross the Syrian border and join the Islamic State terrorist group, Counter Terrorism Commander Richard Walton said, describing the Bethnal Green Academy students as "extremely vulnerable."
On Sunday, a Twitter account appearing to belong to Shamima tweeted to an account associated with female ISIS member Umm Layth, formerly known as Aqsa Mahmood, who left her privileged life in Glasgow to marry an ISIS fighter in Syria in November 2013.
"@Muhajirah_ follow me so i can dm you back," she tweeted. "DM" refers to a direct message, which allows users of the social network to communicate privately with each other, according to New York Daily News.
The teenagers' families are "devastated," but there is a "good chance" that the girls were still in Turkey because snow in the capital has limited travel capacity, Cdr. Walton said.
"We are reaching out to the girls using the Turkish media and social media in the hope that Shamima, Kadiza and their friend hear our messages, hear our concerns for their safety and have the courage to return now, back to their families who are so worried about them," Walton said. The third girl is not being named at the request of her family.
"If we are able to locate these girls whilst they are still in Turkey, we have a good possibility of being able to bring them home to their families."
"The choice of returning home from Syria is often taken away from those under the control of Islamic State, leaving their families in the UK devastated and with very few options to secure their safe return," he said.
"We are extremely concerned for the safety of these young girls and would urge anyone with information to come forward and speak to police. Our priority is the safe return of these girls to their families," he added.
Salman Farsi, a spokesman for the East London Mosque, said she thought the girls had been misled, UK MailOnline reported.
"I do not know what was promised to them. It is just sad. I think the girls need to know they have done nothing wrong. They have been manipulated."
Meanwhile, Begum, Sultana and the third girl all wear black thick rimmed glasses and stand between 5-foot-6-inches to 5-foot-7-inches tall.
Police ask anyone with information about the trio to call the Anti-Terrorist hotline at 0800-789-321.
