Race to find teen girls
Police fear UK girls are on way to join ISIS
Police
scramble to find teen girls before they join ISIS
Updated
1253 GMT (2053 HKT) February 23, 2015
The fight against ISIS
Story highlights
- 3 teen British girls missing for 6 days might be en route to Syria
- Cameron: Schools can help stop people from being "poisoned by this appalling death cult"
(CNN)Amira
Abase told her father she was going to a wedding. Instead, the 15-year-old
British girl hopped on a plane with two friends to Turkey -- and police fear
they are headed to Syria to join ISIS.
"What she's doing is completely nonsense," Amira's father
Abase Hussen said.
He implored Amira to come home.
"Remember how we love you. Your sister, brother, they cannot stop
crying."
Six days ago, the trio of British girls ran away from home and flew from
London to Istanbul. It's unclear where Amira, 15-year-old Shamima Begum and
16-year-old Kadiza Sultana are.
But authorities worry their next stop will be Syria.
The ISIS terror threat 47 photos
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"This is an ongoing, live counterterrorism operation, and we're
concerned about these three girls," London Metropolitan Police Cmdr.
Richard Walton said.
"There's a good possibility, a strong possibility, that we can stop
them going into Syria. And our main objective here is to make contact with
these three young girls, for them to make contact with us, preferably."
But so far, silence.
A knack for recruiting
The notion that three girls from London could succumb to the lure of
ISIS highlights the terror group's aptitude for recruiting young foreigners.
British Prime Minister David Cameron said the case illustrates the need
to fight ISIS on multiple levels.
"It does make a broader point which is the fight against Islamist
terror is not just one that we can wage by the police and border control,"
Cameron said Saturday.
"It needs every school, every university, every college, every community
to recognize they have a role to play, we all have a role to play in stopping
people from having their minds poisoned by this appalling death cult."
'You are not in any
trouble'
Shamima's family has also made a public plea in hopes the girls will return.
"Syria is a dangerous place and we don't want you to go there. Get
in touch with the police and they will help to bring you home," the girl's
family said in a statement released by police. "You are not in any trouble."
ISIS recruit from Cairo private school 04:03
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The family said Shamima has strong desires to help those she believes
are suffering in Syria.
"You can help from home. You don't have to put yourself in
danger," her family said. "Please don't cross the border. Please come
home to us. Our Mum needs you home and is really worried. We are not mad at
you, we love you."
Stopping the cycle
British police say they are concerned about the number of young women
and girls who are either hoping to or who already have joined ISIS. While they
wouldn't divulge numbers, they say it's a growing trend.
Shamima's sister, Renu Begum, described the 15-year-old as an
"A-star student." But even bright, promising children can fall prey.
"To convince such young girls at that age that are so vulnerable
... it's just wrong," Begum said. "It's a really evil thing to do.
You're breaking up entire families."
Walton said there are ways of helping detect whether teens may be drawn
to a terror group.
"If young people are showing interest in passports, trying to get
hold of lots of money, there are signs. Anything breaking the normal routine,
any evidence .... of children lying about where they may be," he said.
British police say once they're in Syria with ISIS, it's unlikely they
will ever be allowed to leave.
CNN's Jason Hanna contributed to this report.
copiado http://edition.cnn.com/
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