U.K. teens headed for Syria to join IS held in Turkey

ISTANBUL, Turkey, March 15 (UPI) -- Two British teens, both 17, and a 19-year-old man planning to join the Islamic State in Syria were detained in Turkey before they could cross the border Sunday, police said.

Scotland Yard said investigators were alerted Friday the two 17-year-olds were missing from their homes in northwest London. They were reportedly traveling with the 19-year-old. Counter-terrorism officers spotted them in Istanbul, where they are now awaiting deportation. They were not identified.

The announcement comes after three British teenage girls crossed into Syria last week to join the IS.

Amira Abase and Shamima Begum, both 15, and Kadiza Sultana, 16, are feared to have reached the IS capital of Raqqa in Syria.