2nd LD Writethru: Three British teens bound for IS held in Turkey
Xinhua, March 16, 2015 Adjust font size:
Three British teenagers suspected of traveling to Syria for joining the Islamic State (IS) were stopped by authorities in Turkey, British police said on Sunday.
The three British youths included two boys aged 17 from northwest London and one man aged 19, according to the Scotland Yard.
They were reported missing on Friday and were detained in Istanbul after Britain alerted Turkish officials.
"Officers alerted the Turkish authorities who were able to intercept all three males, preventing travel to Syria. They remain in detention in Turkey," a British police spokesman said.
Turkish authorities are in touch with their Britain counterparts to arrange their deportation to Britain this week, reports said.
The families have been kept informed of developments, Scotland Yard said.
In the end of February, three British girls were reported missing and crossed into Syria.
The three girls, Shamima Begum, Amira Abase, both 15, and Kadiza Sultana, 16, are students from the Bethnal Green Academy, a school in east London. They were believed to cross into Syria and join the IS in February, British police said. Endit