Officers in desperate search for unnamed teenager, thought to be trying to cross border after flying to Istanbul

This article is more than 5 years old

This article is more than 5 years old

A missing 15-year-old British girl may be attempting to get to Syria to join up with Islamist fighters after becoming radicalised, police have said.

The teenager, who has not been named but is believed to be of Somali origin, has been tracked by police since she left her home in Bristol.

It is thought she met a 17-year-old girl in London before the pair boarded a plane to Istanbul, Turkey. Officers are desperate to find her before she crosses the border into Syria.

Avon and Somerset’s assistant chief constable Louisa Rolfe said there were indications the girl “may have been radicalised”. She said: “We can confirm that a 15-year-old student from Bristol has travelled to Turkey and we understand she may be attempting to make her way to Syria.

“Since she was reported missing by her parents we’ve carried out extensive work to trace her footsteps from the time she left home to her arrival in Istanbul, Turkey. We’re giving every support we can to her family. We want to find out where she is and encourage her to return safely.

“There are indications she may have been radicalised but at the moment our priority is to find her before she crosses the border to Syria and make sure she is safe. We must all be vigilant and ready to spot the signs of radicalisation.”

The family of the missing 15-year-old urged her to return to her home.

Hibaq Jama, a Labour councillor and spokeswoman for the family, said: “Please come back, we miss you very much.

“You are not in any trouble. We just want you to be safe and come home as soon as possible.”

She added that the schoolgirl was “incredibly bright”, articulate and popular.

She said the teen had left for school as usual on the morning of her disappearance, but that when her father went to collect her at 3.30pm she wasn’t there.

The spokeswoman said the family were “devastated” and “distraught”.

The girl’s parents reported her missing last Wednesday and Avon and Somerset police said the search involved detectives from the Metropolitan force and their network of international liaison officers.

In Bristol, police will be investigating how any radicalisation took place and trying to find anyone else who might be tempted to head for Syria.

Rolfe added: “Often, young Muslims who go to Syria hold can be naive and don’t recognise that they are being sucked into joining extremist groups.

“This is not about criminalising these young people, it’s about preventing tragedies.”

An estimated 500 to 600 Britons are believed to have travelled to Syria, and 250 have since returned. Among them are brothers Nasser and Aseel Muthana, 20 and 17, and their friend Reyaad Khan, also 20, all from Cardiff, just 40 miles down the M4 from Bristol. Nasser and Khan appeared in a terrorist recruitment video.