17-year-old who Planned to Join IS Russian Police Opens Investigation

Russian police have opened a criminal investigation into a 17-year-old boy suspected of traveling to Syria to join the Islamic State – a terrorist organization banned in Russia, the Interfax news agency reported Tuesday.

Russia may seek an international arrest warrant for the teenager, Investigative Committee spokeswoman Yulia Ivanova was quoted as saying.

Investigators believe that the teenager traveled to Syria via Turkey about a year ago, and has since posted photos of himself surrounded by IS fighters on social networks, and has called for “terrorism,” Ivanova was quoted as saying.

Investigators appeared to have been alerted by a report from a Moscow resident, who said his son had gone missing, Interfax reported.

A search for the boy led investigators to social networks showing photos of the teenager “against the background of IS symbols, with weapons in his arms, and surrounded by Arabic-looking men,” an unidentified law-enforcement official was quoted by Interfax as saying.

The photos were posted from IP addresses registered to Turkey, Syria and Iraq, the report said.