More Somali girls run to Arab Pimps in Syria/Iraq

[Axmed1508736699]

Missing Bristol girl, 15, 'may be heading to Syria'

Instabul in Turkey

The teenager travelled to Istanbul in Turkey

Continue reading the main story

Related Stories

 

May: New extremism powers needed

'Over 3,000 Europeans join jihadis'

Missing teen twins 'now in Syria'

A missing teenage girl from Bristol may be attempting to get to Syria, police have said.

 

Detectives have been tracing the 15-year-old's movements from the moment she left her home to her arrival in Istanbul, Turkey.

 

Assistant Chief Constable Louisa Rolfe said there were indications the girl "may have been radicalised".

 

"Our priority is to find her before she crosses the border to Syria and make sure she is safe," she said.

 

"We must all be vigilant and ready to spot the signs of radicalisation.

 

"Often, young Muslims who go to Syria can be naive and don't recognise they are being sucked into joining extremist groups.

 

"This is not about criminalising these young people, it's about preventing tragedies."

 

The girl's parents reported her missing last Wednesday.

 

'Devastated and distraught'

Bristol city councillor Hibaq Jama said on the day the girl disappeared, she left for school as usual but was not there when her father went to pick her up at 15:30 BST.

 

Ms Jama said the family was "absolutely devastated" and "distraught", adding the teenager's actions were "completely out of character".

 

She gave a message on behalf of the girl's family, who she said were "working very closely with the police".

 

The family's statement said: "Please come back. We miss you very much. You are not in any trouble. We just want you to be safe and to come home as soon as possible."

 

The student, who police are declining to name, travelled to London where she met a 17-year-old girl from the capital.

 

Both are believed to have travelled from Heathrow Airport.

 

Avon and Somerset Police said the search involved detectives from the Metropolitan Police and their network of international liaison officers.

 

In July, 16-year-old twins flew from Manchester to Turkey and officers believed the pair had headed to Syria.

 

Line

How can a 15-year-old travel alone to Istanbul?

• A number of airlines including British Airways, KLM and Lufthansa offer daily direct flights to Istanbul from Heathrow

 

• The Home Office and the Department for Transport both confirmed it was up to individual airlines whether to permit unaccompanied children on flights

 

• Regulations differ depending on the airline - British Airways offers a Skyflyer Solo service which looks after children up to the age of 12 travelling alone, older children do not have to use the service

 

• Aseel Muthana, 17, from Cardiff, left Britain in February to join his older brother Nasser, fighting for ISIS in Syria, and 16-year-old twins Salma and Zahra Halane left their Chorlton home to join the Jihadi group in the country in July

 

• The Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) advises against all but essential travel to areas within 10km (six miles) of Turkey's border with Syria