But their destination was anything but ordinary.
British police announced last week that three east London classmates — Shamima Begum, 15; Kadiza Sultana, 16; and Amira Abase, 15 — had flown aboard a Turkish Airlines plane from London’s Gatwick Airport to Istanbul on February 17.
From there, they wanted to go to Syria with the apparent goal of joining ISIS. On Tuesday, authorities said they believe the three girls have made it to their target country.
British Prime Minister David Cameron has said the case highlights the need to fight ISIS on multiple fronts.
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Separately, Hussen spoke to the BBC.
While holding a teddy bear that Amira had given her mother for Mother’s Day, he said his daughter had never expressed an interest in ISIS.
“The message we have for Amira is to get back home. We miss you,” Hussen told the BBC. “Please think twice.”
CNN’s Jason Hanna, Laura Smith-Spark and Holly Yan contributed to this report.
