KINGSTON: Jamaica police say they have found no evidence to prove that a teenager suspected of being a would-be militant was indeed trying to join Islamic extremists.
Earlier this month, the Jamaican 16-year-old boy was detained by police at Suriname’s main airport. They said a regional intelligence agency told them the boy intended to travel to Turkey and then cross into Syria to join militants from the Islamic State group. He was flown back to Jamaica and kept in police custody for days.
On Monday, Jamaican police said their investigations “have not confirmed that ISIS was recruiting the student or that he was providing any material support” to terrorist groups.
But they say anomalies that emerged about the boy’s itinerary and plans had to be verified to protect “national security interests.”--AP