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(ABC) The FBI has tracked down three American teenage girls in Germany while they were en route to Syria to join militant groups, a law enforcement official told ABC News today.
The girls, who are from the Denver area, were trying "to fulfill what they believe is some vision that has been put out on a slick media campaign" by radical groups in Syria, including ISIS, the official said.
The girls have not been identified.
This is part of a worrisome trend of "disaffected youth" who are being radicalized, the official said, pointing to the wider phenomenon of foreign fighters converging on the conflict in the region.
While these girls were 15 or 16 years old, there are other cases of high school age kids trying to get to Syria that haven't been made public, the official said.
The girls were persuaded to travel overseas and were in contact with someone in Germany, the official said, noting that someone close to them notified authorities.
They were turned around and sent back to the United States, the official said, noting that because they are minors it remains unclear whether they will be charged with anything or be "arrested."
"FBI Denver Division is aware of the situation and assisted with bringing the individuals back to Denver. The juveniles are safe and reunited with their families," FBI Denver spokeswoman Sue Payne said.
