Three British teens suspected of planning to join ISIS arrested in Turkey

Three British male teenagers suspected of planning to join Islamic State militants in Syria have been arrested in Turkey and flown back to the United Kingdom, officials said Sunday.

The three teens were detained Friday in Istanbul by Turkish authorities who were alerted by British officials after police in London reported that two 17-year-old boys had gone missing and were thought to be traveling to Syria, Reuters reported.

The three, whose names have not been released, arrived back in London Saturday evening and were arrested “on suspicion of preparation of terrorist acts,” London’s Metropolitan Police said in a statement.

They are currently being held at London’s central police station.

As many as 700 British citizens, including three London schoolgirls last month, have gone to Syria or Iraq to join militant groups, made easier, officials say by the pervasive social media presence of Islamic extremists, the Associated Press reported.

Turkey has issued travel bans to 12,519 people suspected of wanting to go to Syria and 1,154 more have been deported, Turkish foreign minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said on Friday.

Turkish police have also increased measures to stop foreign nationals from crossing the border into Syria, the Guardian reported.