Two Austrian Teens Join ISIS, Watch Their Transformation [Photos]

We all watched in horror, as ISIS, the Syrian based terrorist group beheaded two American journalists, but this doesn’t seem to be a problem for two Austrian teens who have left their homes to join the group. Not only that, the girls’ decision has inspired others in the European country to follow suit.

The shocking revelations came on Friday, via the British publication Mail Online. According to the report, 16-year-old Samra Kesinovic and 15-year-old Sabina Selimovic disappeared from their homes in Vienna, Austria earlier this summer. Images of the two Austrian teens later surfaced, showing them wearing the traditional black Muslim dress, while surrounded by other fighters holding machine guns.

Even though Interpol has been notified of the Austrian teens allegedly joining ISIS, they have not been located. The media has dubbed the teens the face of the call to jihad.

The Austrian Interior Minister has confirmed that two other teens — who were supposedly inspired by the pair — from Vienna, have been caught before they could join ISIS in Syria. A third girl was planning on joining them but was stopped by her mother.

The 17-year-old was planning on traveling to Graz, Austria’s second-largest city, but her mother became suspicious of her very large suitcase and didn’t allow her to leave. The mom alerted police, who were able to locate the two other teens and stop them as well.

One of the Austrian teens, who was planning to join ISIS, is reportedly from a Muslim family and the other is a convert. Both girls are from Iraqi families living in the country for at least 20-years. Police are trying to determine how the girls were radicalized and if they had helped with their escape plans.

Authorities have noticed an influx in Austrian teens expressing a desire to leave their families and join ISIS, according to Austrian Interior Ministry spokesman Alexander Marakovits.

“If we can catch them before they leave, we have the chance to work with their parents and other institutions to bring the youngsters out of the sphere of influence that prompted them to act in this way the first place.”

“Once they have left the country, even if they then changed their minds, it is then almost impossible to get them back.”

“They are victims who have fallen in with the wrong circle of friends…lured (to Syria) with false promises.”

Austrian teens are not the only Europeans who sympathize with ISIS. A recent poll in France, suggests that one in six residents have a favorable opinion of the brutal terrorist group, a trend that increases with younger respondents.

[Images via IJReview]