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THE CASE OF three teenage girls being investigated for trying to join Islamic State militants poses vexing questions for US officials about the use of social media by terror groups to recruit people inside the country, experts have said.
A Colorado school official said the Denver area girls — two sisters ages 17 and 15, and a 16-year-old friend — were victims of an online predator who encouraged them to travel overseas and eventually to Syria.
Mia Bloom, a professor of security studies at the University of Massachusetts-Lowell, said the girls’ story so far suggests how Islamic extremists have mastered social media to prey on younger and younger women with “Disney-like versions of what it is like to live in the caliphate”, complete with promises of husbands and homes.
At least one of the girls was communicating with someone online who encouraged the three to travel to Syria, said Tustin Amole, a spokeswoman for the Cherry Creek School District where the girls attend high school.
Fellow high school students told school officials that the girls had been discussing travel plans over Twitter, Amole said.
The girls were detained at an airport in Frankfurt, Germany, and sent home over the weekend. They were interviewed by the FBI and returned to their parents in suburban Aurora. Those in the tight-knit east African community where they live said the sisters are of Somali descent and their friend is of Sudanese descent.
“There’s no indication they had been radicalised in a way that they wanted to fight for ISIS,” Amole said.
The Facebook Factor
A US official said evidence gathered so far made it clear that the girls were headed to Syria, though the official said investigators were still trying to determine what sort of contacts they had in that country.
Another US official said that investigators were reviewing evidence, including the girls’ computers. The officials spoke on the condition of anonymity because they were not authorised to discuss the ongoing investigation by name.
“Social media has played a very significant role in the recruitment of young people,” said FBI spokesman Kyle Loven in Minneapolis, home to the largest Somali community in the US Authorities there have been concerned about terror recruiting of the young for years.
What we’ve experienced here in Minneapolis is that young, disaffected youth who exist primarily on the fringes of society — they seem to be more susceptible to this type of propaganda, unfortunately.
Terror recruiting has been a problem for years in Minneapolis. Since 2007, roughly 22 young Somali-Americans have traveled to Somalia to take up arms with al-Shabab, an al-Qaida linked group. Those were all men.
Within the last year, a handful of people from the community left Minnesota to join militant groups in Syria, and this time, there are fears that women might have been targeted. Loven said the FBI is working with the Somali community to establish trust and help identify young people at risk for radicalisation.
Problem students?
In Colorado, Amole said the three teens had no prior problems at school, aside from unexcused absences on Friday.
It is not yet known how they managed to get to Frankfurt.
The US government doesn’t have any restrictions on children flying alone, domestically or internationally. Airline policies vary. Most US airlines allow children 12 and older to fly alone but often with restrictions on international flights, according to the US Transportation Department.
The girls’ parents reported them missing Friday after they skipped school. They had taken passports and $2,000 in cash from the sisters’ parents’ home.
At some point, the US informed German authorities at the airport about the girls arriving alone on their way to Turkey, German Interior Ministry spokeswoman Pamela Mueller-Niese told reporters. She said the three were detained by German police, with approval from a judge, and returned voluntarily to the US on Sunday.
Once home, the girls told a deputy they went to Germany for “family”, but wouldn’t elaborate.
A spokesman for the US attorney’s office in Denver would not say whether prosecutors plan to charge the girls with a crime. State prosecutors said they have no imminent plans to charge the girls. Amole said they will not face discipline
“Our biggest concern is for the safety and well-being of these girls,” Amole said.
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Great news more passengers = more jobs
Let the market find its own level…number 1 rule
I was waiting for a Ryanair response, and fortunately it’s positive.
Well done Ryanair.
? The government scrapped the tax not Ryanair.
I’m well aware of that Anthony.
I am congratulating Ryanair on their commitment to an extra million passengers.
I’m well aware of that Anthony.
I am congratulating Ryanair on their commitment to an extra million passengers,
It’s a big commitment to make.
And without Ryanair’s constant criticism of the tax, this would never have happened. There’s NO WAY the government would have done it themselves. Kudos Ryanair.
Good news from Ryanair. They will need more destinations and routes as well if they are going to get the extra million. I wonder if they are ready to make the jump across the Atlantic? There are millions of Irish Americans and Irish Canadians who would visit Ireland but cant afford the flights.
You mean Americans and Canadians.
No fan of Michael O Leary but at least he pays his taxes in Ireland unlike the media darlings of Dennis O Brien JP Mc manus Bono etc who don’t
So does that mean that you don’t claim any tax credits, or any tax relief of any form?
I pay my taxes and yes I do claim my credits like any other worker be they self employed or paye but I do object to people who live as tax exiles whilst maintaing a life in this country, they used the resources of government (schools roads etc)whilst growing up and developing there business so why cant they pay their share now
Please stop peddling this boring line. O’Leary pays his taxes here because he lives here. If he preferred Portugal he would live there.
Do you really think he pays tax here because he wants to? He pays his tax here because he wants to live here.
As does Bono by the way. Bono is not a tax exile. Get your facts right.
Flew with ryanair twice this week, the attitude has certainly changed. Staff smiled and the pilot came on the intercom and chatted away thanking passengers profusely for queueing quickly and allowing them to take off and land on time.
Seriously, can €3 really have that much of an effect?
Going on a holiday is going to be determined by €3?
When your profits are less than €7 per passenger, €3 is a huge amount.
If you have a plane with 250 passengers at 3 euro it is 750. If it does 3 flights a day (which would be unexceptional) it is 2250
2250 *365 days is 820k a year.
820k a year for one mid size plane. That is how the world looks at reduction. There is more to it all than your own pocket and shopping habits and your street.
So are you saying that Ryanair pays the €3 and doesn’t charge the passenger? I don’t think so. Passenger numbers have gone down since 2009 not because of the tax, but because the people were out of work. I think that €3 would do more if it was left on the price of a flight and didn’t cut more important things like the youngsters benefits.
Have I got this wrong? Is this what the passenger pays or the airline for each passenger?
A Boeing 737-800 can hold 189 pax, not 250! The tax has had a direct affect on pax numbers into Dublin…
Emigration has never been cheaper.
It would be great if Ryanair could scrap a lot of their bullshit when booking flights nothing worse than when your in the process and €€€ keep adding up to the end if the booking. All the same hats off to Michael and Ryanair with all the slagging they are the best low fairs airline going, you just have to be a ruthless passenger to get the deals. And I’m sure this will be a good for tourism too!
Good news. An Increase in tourist market has to be welcomed. Now Ryanair will you negotiate with some Tour Operators and get them to increase the numbers coming to Donegal?
A Derry to Dublin or Cork would also be great seeing as the train doesn’t make it up to Donegal
Oh don’t get me started about trains lol
Tax free air travel from the 1st of April? You must be joking.
Sheesh! Guess it’s too early for an attempt at an April fools joke!
Kerry to Central France, please please please!!!
So many destination faces going to so many places
Where the weather is much better
And the food is so much cheaper.
Airport….. ;-)
Reduce social payments to the youth and scrap airport tax out of the country… Hmmm What are they getting at here?
I hope a Kerry to Birmingham route is on his expansion list! !
Why is it that we pay the extra tax on cigs, drink etc. immediately but must wait till April fools day 2014 to get the travel tax removed…….strange
Ryanair only has low fares from Eastern Europe ! Try book a trip to a popular destination to see what I mean!
It’s called supply and demand. Look it up.
Martin I’m well aware of the principles of supply & demand ya tool, with Ryanair it’s about the passengers on busy routes subsidizing the passengers on half empty planes to “other” destinations !
I doubt Mr. O’Leary would continue with ANY route that was non-profitable. It’s not a government-run airline.
Good news from Ryanair and from the Irish government. If only their northern counterparts were as wise- from Belfast but would much rather use the facilities at Dublin airport which, unlike Belfast, doesn’t resemble a ghost town during the day. And with air passenger duty at around 18 pounds per flight, who wouldn’t make the journey to Dublin?
Caolan…The reason a lot of people travel from NI to Dublin Airport isn’t just the UK travel tax….Last year alone , over 500,000 people from NI used Dublin Airport..The choice of destinations from Dublin is much wider..Transatlantic and longhaul traffic destinations from Dublin include ; New York , Boston , Chicago , Orlando , Washington DC , Philidelphia , Toronto , Montreal…From next year San Francisco will be added,,,
3 euro off tax but will probably be put on charges, will we really see any change to the price? I’m i just been silly???
Chronically pessimistic of the type that can lead to depression. Your not being silly though.
Just remember folks Ryanair workers like so many others are free to receive all irish benefits of our welfare system such as child support etc but the workers pay their income tax in the country of origin. So french air hostess payes in france czech in czech Republic etc so the company dont have to pay their portion of prsi in ireland if at all in any country.
That’s where you’re wrong Ryanair are facing law cases in most of european countries because their crew are employed on Irish contracts( apart from UK) therefore paying their taxes in Ireland and not where based.
Good stuff mon I knew I mixed up the story. So where do ryanair pay their employer prsi?
Unfortunately for their employees they pay it here, in Ireland
There must b a catch somewhere. Will findout in April…
No flights to Pakistan unfortunately.
I wonder if Knock Airport will follow the lead and get rid of their disgraceful exit tax.
It will be interesting to see where the new passengers will originate from?
Its not the 3 Euro tax that is the problem.
Ryanair is only publicity seeking by suggesting it will make a difference abolishing it.
Ryanair has a plethora of fees and extra charges of its own, which make this fee chicken feed.!
The real problem is the fact that The DAA´s own charges add up to 50% of the cost of an airline ticket in some cases.
This charge is, of course, a tax on all passengers in order to pay the impressive bill for both the impressive new terminal at Dublin Airport and the impressive salaries and pensions of all the employees of this semi state Quango.!
well thats another €3 o leary will put on the additional charges by april
have your say