South Korean police find ISIS images on computer of teen who went missing in Turkey

SEOUL (AFP) - A South Korean teenager who went missing in Turkey near the Syrian border had images of what appeared to be Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS) militants on his home computer, the police said on Monday, amid suspicions he may have joined the group.

The 18-year-old, identified only by his surname Kim, went missing on Jan 10 during a trip to the southern Turkish town of Kilis and was last seen leaving a hotel. Turkish newspaper Milliyet reported earlier that he had exchanged e-mail messages with ISIS and probably crossed into Syria to join them.

But Seoul's Foreign Ministry said at the weekend it had seen no hard evidence that Kim had entered Syria or joined the group.

South Korean police investigating his disappearance searched Kim's room in Seoul and checked his personal computer. "There were some photos of gun-toting militants carrying what look like ISIS flags in his computer," a Seoul police detective on the case told AFP on the condition of anonymity.

The police are looking to see if Kim had accessed any ISIS-linked websites and are analysing e-mail exchanges with a Turkish friend he met online only known as "Hassan", the detective said.

Kim's parents allowed him to travel to Turkey, along with a family friend, after he pleaded for the chance to meet Hassan in person.

At home, Kim spent most of his time playing computer games after dropping out of school a few years ago, Dong-A Ilbo and other major newspapers reported.

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