Three Denver teenage girls were taken into custody in Germany while on their way to Syria to join the Islamic State of Iraq in the Levant (ISIL), raising concerns over what authorities call the 'terror appeal' which preys on young people in particular.  

According to officials, the girls were held at the airport in Frankfurt, Germany but were sent home over the weekend. The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) interviewed the girls prior to returning them to their parents in Aurora.

Like Us on Facebook

The incident has raised concerns over the use of social media by terrorists to lure people to become members of the extremist group. According to FBI spokesman Kyle Loven, social media is really playing a significant role in the recruitment of young people and that it is a growing concern.

Another expert and former FBI special agent in Denver, Jim Davis, pressed that the incident is already an indicator that people have to be careful and watchful of what young people are doing on the internet nowadays.

One of the three girls was said to be communicating with someone online and they were encouraged to travel to Syria, reveals Tustin Amole, a spokeswoman for the Cherry Creek School District where the girls go to school.

An official from the United States, who spoke in anonymity, said that the evidence they have positively showed that the teenagers were indeed headed to Syria. Authorities are still studying what kind of communication and contacts they had in the country as well as reviewing the girls' computers.

Two of the teens, aged 17 and 15, are sisters, while the third is a 16-year-old friend of the two.

The sisters are said to be of Somali descent while their friend is of Sudanese descent. Investigators are still trying to determine how the three girls made it to Europe and noted that U.S. airlines allow children who are 12-years-old and above to fly alone but restrictions apply when it comes to international flights.

The three girls reportedly skipped classes and the parents of the two sisters reported them missing on Friday. It was found out that they took their passports as well as US$2,000.

This is not the first case as terror appeal has been a problem since 2007. Reportedly, around 22 young Somali-Americans have already traveled to other countries to join militant groups. 

TagsThree teenage girls, travel to join ISIL, ISIS, militants, Denver, Frankfurt, Germany, Online predator, terror appeal, social networking sites, ISIL, terrorists, Somalia, Sudan