UK police defend actions in missing girls case

LONDON (AP) - British police defended their actions Tuesday as criticism mounted over the way authorities handled the case of three teenage girls believed to be heading to Syria to join terrorists.

The three British girls, aged 15 to 16, disappeared from their London homes on Feb. 17. Authorities say they boarded a plane to Istanbul and could be on their way to Syria to join the Islamic State group. But a top Turkish official complained that British officials waited three days before seeking help in the case, losing valuable time.

The case has generated wide attention, underlining fears that growing numbers of young men and women in Britain and Europe are traveling to Syria to fight with extremists, often via Turkey. Security officials say at least 500 Britons have left for Syria and pose a terrorism threat when they return.

Turkey's deputy prime minister said British authorities did not share enough information for Turkey to act quickly as the girls arrived in Istanbul as tourists.

"It is a condemnable act, a shameful act that a country like Britain ... did not follow (the girls) closely," Bulent Arinc told reporters in Ankara, the capital. "They woke up three days after the fact to notify us."

"We don't have a mechanism that allows us to question or read the minds of tourists," he added.

The Metropolitan Police disputed that account, however, saying Tuesday that they notified the Turkish embassy in London a day after the girls went missing. Police from both countries are working together to investigate the case, the force added.

The families of Shamima Begum, 15, Kadiza Sultana, 16, and Amira Abase, 15, have implored them to return home. Authorities suspect they were recruited by extremists online.

"They appear to have been induced to join a terrorist group that carries out the most hideous violence and believes girls should be married at nine and women should not leave the home," Prime Minister David Cameron told lawmakers on Monday.

Police say the three girls are good students and close friends studying at a London school. A fourth girl from the same school disappeared in December and was thought to have left for Syria to become a "jihadi bride." Police said detectives investigating that case spoke to the three girls at the time but there was nothing to suggest they were at risk of leaving for Syria.

Cameron said airlines and Internet companies need to step up efforts to prevent the spread of extremism. British officials will discuss with airlines how to ensure that unaccompanied teenagers or children at risk can be identified and questioned before they travel, he said.

Many major airlines place no restrictions on children over 12 traveling unaccompanied by parents.

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AP writer Suzan Fraser contributed to this report from Ankara, Turkey.