3 Colorado teens home after reportedly trying to join Islamic State
Three Colorado teenage girls who had been reported missing were stopped in Germany while reportedly traveling to join the radical group Islamic State and have since been reunited with their families, according to officials and news reports.
“They were all underage, and fortunately we were able to assist in finding them,” said a senior FBI official, speaking to the Los Angeles Times on condition of anonymity because the investigation was ongoing. “We’re not sure yet who was influencing whom, or why. But they are all safe.”
The three girls -- two sisters, 17 and 15, and another girl, 16 -- living in unincorporated Arapahoe County were reported as runaways on Friday, said Glenn Thompson, bureau chief for the Arapahoe County Sheriff’s Office.
Voice of America’s Somali news service reported that officials then stopped the girls in Frankfurt, Germany, sometime over the weekend, and sent them home.
Representatives for German authorities did not immediately respond to a request for comment sent after hours Tuesday.
Voice of America, citing relatives and other unidentified sources, reported that the two sisters are of ethnic Somali origin, and that the third girl is from Sudan.
Thompson said the county sheriff’s office got word Monday that the girls were back home but didn’t have more information.
“FBI Denver Division is aware of the situation and assisted with bringing the individuals back to Denver. They are safe and reunited with their parents,” a spokeswoman, Suzie Payne, said in a statement provided to The Times.
Citing their ages and the FBI’s typically strict rules about releasing information about potential investigations, Payne said she would “not be providing any additional information on this matter.”
The three girls have not been identified, and The Times does not normally identify minors potentially involved in a crime.
Islamic State has thrived in Syria and Iraq in part by using social media to inspire foreigners to join a nascent caliphate, even drawing some Americans.
One Arvada, Colo., woman, Shannon Maureen Conley, 19, pleaded guilty last month to conspiring to assist Islamic State after she was arrested at Denver International Airport on April 8 while boarding a flight to join the group.
Follow @MattDPearce and @RickSerranoLAT for national news
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