Three US teens 'lured by online predator'

THREE teenage girls from suburban Denver being investigated for possibly trying to join Islamic State militants in Syria aren't radicalised jihadis but rather victims of an online predator, a school official says.

AT least one of the girls was communicating with someone online who encouraged the three to travel to Syria, said Tustin Amole, a spokesman for the Cherry Creek School District where the girls attend high school.
The three were detained at an airport in Germany before being sent home over the weekend and returned to their parents. "There's no indication they had been radicalised in a way that they wanted to fight for ISIS," Amole said, adding that the students had no prior problems aside from unexcused absences on Friday. He did not elaborate. They didn't return to school on Wednesday. "Our biggest concern is for the safety and well-being of these girls," Amole said. A US official said the evidence gathered so far made it clear that the girls - two sisters, ages 17 and 15, and their 16-year-old friend - were headed to Syria, though the official said investigators were still trying to determine what sort of contacts they had in that country. The official said investigators would be trying to figure out whether there were "like-minded" friends and acquaintances in the girls' social circle. Another US official said the girls were headed toward Turkey en route to Syria and that investigators were reviewing evidence, including the girls' computers. Fellow high school students told school officials on Monday that the girls had been discussing travel plans over Twitter, Amole said. The sisters are of Somali descent, and their friend is of Sudanese descent, community leaders said. The girls' parents reported them missing on Friday after they skipped classes and left home with their passports and $US2000 ($A2000) in cash. Police said their families had no idea where they went. The girls were stopped at the Frankfurt airport over the weekend.