A 16-year-old Dutch girl has been picked up by Hungarian officials travelling to Syria on a false passport.

The girl, said to be of Moroccan origin, was found on a train heading for Belgrade from Budapest on October 29, Hungarian media reported. She had been listed as missing by her parents and was handed over to the Dutch authorities on Tuesday.

According to the Telegraaf, quoting Hungarian newspaper Blikk, the girl had been in touch with jihad recruiters via social media sites. Local television footage shows the girl, in trousers and a loose headscarf, being escorted to a KLM plane.

Terrorism

A spokesman for the Dutch counter terrorism unit said the girl had been arrested near the Hungarian-Serbian border after an international warrant was issued for her arrest.

‘The police and child protection officials are investigating,’ the spokesman said. ‘The girl’s parents are being given help and support.’

In May last year, a 16-year-old girl was stopped from travelling to Syria after a tip-off. There were similar incidents involving 15-year-old Dutch girls in January and June this year.