Three male British teenagers suspected of planning to join Islamic State militants in Syria have been arrested by London police after being deported from Turkey, officials said.
The three, who have not been named, were detained on Friday in the Turkish city of Istanbul, Turkish sources told Reuters, after a tip-off from British authorities that two of them were traveling to Turkey via Spain.
London police said they had been made aware on Friday that two 17-year-old boys from the city had gone missing and were thought to be traveling to Syria. Further inquiries revealed they had traveled with a 19-year-old male, police said.
They were then flown back to Britain late on Saturday, when they were arrested "on suspicion of preparation of terrorist acts", the Metropolitan Police statement said. Turkish authorities confirmed that they had been deported.
Police said late on Sunday the three had been released on bail and would return for further questioning at a later date.
Their arrest comes after three London schoolgirls entered Turkey last month and are thought to have joined Islamic State in Syria.
Security services estimate some 600 Britons have gone to Syria or Iraq to join militant groups, including the man known as "Jihadi John" who has appeared in several Islamic State beheading videos.
Hundreds of other Europeans have also joined the fight.
Their involvement has raised fears about the possibility of attacks at home if they return trained and further radicalized.
Turkey meanwhile has faced criticism for not better controlling its southeastern borders, and has accused European countries of failing to prevent would-be jihadists from traveling in the first place.
On Thursday, the Turkish foreign minister said the missing girls who had earlier traveled toSyria were helped to cross the border by a spy working for one of the countries in the U.S.-led coalition against the militants. [ID:nL5N0WE3U3]
Islamic State controls swathes of territory in Syria and Iraq where it has declared an Islamic caliphate.
