U.K. officials say that three missing teenage girls who flew to Turkey to join up with the Islamic State group are likely in Syria.
Shamima Begum, 15, Amira Abase, 15, and Kadiza Sultana, 16, disappeared on Feb. 17. The girls flew boarded a Turkish Airlines flight out of Gatwick Airport south of London and have not been seen since.
The Metropolitan Police said in a statement on Tuesday that officials “now had reason to believe that they are no longer in Turkey and have crossed into Syria. Officers continue to work closely with the Turkish authorities on this investigation,” BBC reported.
BBC correspondent James Reynolds said that authorities fear that if the girls are in Syria, then they are “out of reach.”
French authorities looking for the widow of Paris hostage-taker Amedy Coulibaly face the same dilemma. Intelligence officials believe that Hayat Boumeddiene, 26, may be in Raqqa, Syria.
Four hostages were killed Jan. 9 in the Paris suburb of Porte de Vincennes during Amedy Coulibaly’s attack on a Jewish supermarket. He was killed in a shootout with police.
SEE ALSO: U.K. authorities scramble to find 3 teenage girls headed for Islamic State territory
• Douglas Ernst can be reached at dernst@washingtontimes.com.
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