London: Three British teenagers, deported from Turkey on suspicion that they were trying to travel to Syria to join Islamic State extremists, have been released on bail after being interrogated by Scotland Yard.
The three teenager boys, two aged 17 and one 19, from north-west London were flown back to the UK on Saturday night where they were arrested by counter-terrorism officers on suspicion of preparing terrorist acts.
They have been bailed to return to a central London police station pending further enquiries, a spokesman for London's Metropolitan Police said last night.
The Metropolitan Police had alerted Turkish officials after the parents of the two younger boys informed police about their disappearance when they did not return home from Friday prayers.
Further enquiries found they had travelled with a third man.
"Officers alerted the Turkish authorities who were able to intercept all three males, preventing them travelling to Syria," a Met Police spokesperson said.
The trio had flown to Istanbul from Barcelona, in Spain.
The two 17-year-olds were stopped at Istanbul's Sabiha Gokcen airport by Turkish authorities acting on intelligence provided by British police.
The 19-year-old youth was also arrested at the airport after being detected by Turkish police checking passengers arriving in Istanbul on a flight from Barcelona.
The latest arrests contrast sharply with the case of three runaway London schoolgirls ? Shamima Begum, Amira Abase, both 15, and Kadiza Sultana, 16?? who are believed to have crossed over to Syria from Turkey.
Meanwhile, police today announced that they were launching a campaign aimed at thwarting IS attempts to recruit young women from Britain.
Police said 22 women and girls have disappeared in the past year and are believed to have gone to Syria.
The new police campaign focuses on mothers and encourages them to have open discussions with their daughters about issues such as travelling to Syria and what they are viewing online.
The new campaign will involve adverts appearing in minority ethnic media across the country.
Deputy Assistant Commissioner Helen Ball, counter-terrorism co-ordinator, said police are increasingly concerned about the numbers of young women who have travelled or are intending to travel to Syria.
She said: "It is an extremely dangerous place and the reality of the lifestyle they are greeted with when they arrive is far from that promoted online by terrorist groups.
"The option of returning home is often taken away from them, leaving families at home devastated and with very few options to secure a safe return for their loved one.
"We want to increase families their confidence in the police and partners to encourage them to come forward at the earliest opportunity so that we can intervene and help."
