A 17-year-old Connecticut teen is missing after being driven to John F. Kennedy Airport so she could fly to Morocco to meet a Facebook boyfriend, authorities say.
Breaking update: Rebecca Arthur has been found safe about 220 miles south of Casablanca and efforts are underway to bring her home. Read the latest coverage here.
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A 17-year-old Connecticut teen is missing after being driven to John F. Kennedy Airport so she could fly to Morocco to meet a Facebook boyfriend, authorities say.
Police say Rebecca Arthur's mother dropped her off Monday at the Delta Airlines terminal under the impression that the Clinton teen was flying to California to visit a friend. But the girl boarded an international flight instead, going to Casablanca, Morocco. She arrived there Tuesday.
"The daughter had no intent of going to California," said Clinton Police spokesman Sgt. Jeremiah Dunn.
Police say Arthur flew to Morocco to meet a Facebook friend named Simo El Adala. A Facebook profile for El Adala features photos of Arthur and lists her as in a relationship with El Adala. El Adala's profile states that he lives in Uruguay.
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Authorities say they think the person claiming to be El Adala paid for Arthur's plane ticket, which likely topped $1,000. Dunn said investigators worried El Adala is not who his online persona claims to be.
"We don't know that he's a real person," Dunn said. "That's our concern."
The FBI, Homeland Security Department and the U.S. Consulate in Morocco are all aiding in the investigation, Dunn said.
Morocco has been listed as a dangerous country for Americans because of the potential for terrorist violence against U.S. citizens and interests, according to the State Department's website.
Arthur is about 5 feet tall and has blue eyes and blonde hair with red highlights. She was about 150 pounds and was last seen wearing black yoga pants, a black sleeveless shirt and pink and blue and white Nike sneakers. She had a red suitcase when she was last seen, authorities said.
Anyone who has been contact with Arthur or El Adala or knows anything about either them or their plans is asked to call police and speak to officer Santiago or Sgt. Flynn at 860-669-0451.
