Three Syria bound UK students caught on CCTV in İstanbul waiting for 18 hours before boarding a bus

Three Syria bound UK students caught on CCTV in İstanbul waiting for 18 hours before boarding a bus. (Bugun).

New CCTV footage reveals that the 3 British girls who caused a diplomatic row between Turkey and the UK and lead to an international manhunt were filmed waiting at a bus station in Istanbul’s Bayrampaşa neighborhood on the European side for 18 hours.

Kadiza Sultana (16), Shamima Begum (15) and Amira Abase (15) flew from London to Istanbul to allegedly join the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) on February 17th.

The BBC reports that the girls arrived at the Bayrampaşa bus station later that day and after waiting 18 hours boarded a bus to the southeastern city of Şanlıurfa near the Syrian border on February 18th.

The five CCTV images displaying the girls were taken between 20:27 local time (18:27 GMT) on February 17 and 13:22 (11:22 GMT) on February 18.


Scotland Yard believes that the three students have already entered Syria and joined up with ISIL.

Certain sources suggest the girls entered Syria through Kilis border less than a week ago. Ali Kathem, a man claiming to be a people smuggler, told the BBC that the girls were driven to the Syrian border and walked a few steps into Syria where a group of ISIL men picked them up in cars. Read the full story here.