Possible Romantic Connection Could Have Lured Teen Girls To ISIS
AURORA, Colo. (CBS4)- There are several theories surrounding possible motives that prompted the actions of three teenage girls from Aurora, suspected of trying to join Islamic State militants in Syria.
"When it comes to young women it's often a romantic connection lured by promises of a relationship, a marriage, a boyfriend," said University of Denver Professor Nader Hashemi. Hashemi studies Islamic politics and the Middle East.
"A lot of this is happening online. Kids have access to Internet, social media, they're recruited," said Hashemi.
At least one of the girls was communicating with someone online who encouraged the three to travel to Syria. They were detained at an airport in Germany before being sent home over the weekend and returned to their parents.
"Teen years, late teens, early 20s, where young people generally, in all societies are going through a particular identity crisis, searching for a cause." said Hashemi. "Those segments of society where you have young people who are going through some personal difficulties, they don't fit in, they're looking for a cause, they're looking for a group. In many ways the dynamics are not that different from what we know of gang activity."
A U.S. official said the evidence gathered so far made it clear that the girls -- two sisters, ages 17 and 15, and their 16-year-old friend -- were headed to Syria, though the official said investigators were still trying to determine what sort of contacts they had in that country.
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Investigators are trying to figure out whether there were "like-minded" friends and acquaintances in the girls' social circle.
Hashemi also said the young women may have been promised a chance to help children and adults who are suffering.
"There is a lot of human suffering in the Middle East related to the crisis in Syria. Two hundred thousand people in the last three and a half years, borderline genocidal activity that's taken place and the world really has done nothing," said Hashemi. "So the recruiting that takes place really appeals to the emotional feelings of doing something about human suffering that the world has done nothing about.
"If you see the online recruitment videos you see signs of refugees, human rights violations, of a dictator. So you have these radical groups saying, 'We are the solution to human suffering. These are your brothers and sisters, these human beings, come and join us, be part of this campaign, we will right the wrongs.' "
Foreign fighters from dozens of nations are pouring into the Middle East to join the Islamic State group and other terrorist organizations. U.S. officials are putting new energy into trying to understand what radicalizes people far removed from the fight, and into trying to prod countries to do a better job of keeping them from joining up.
