[UPDATE BELOW] A 17-year-old girl from Connecticut has gone missing after tricking her mother into driving her to JFK so she could meet her Facebook boyfriend in Morocco, according to authorities.
Clinton, CT teenager Rebecca Arthur reportedly told her mother she had booked a trip to California to visit a friend, asking her to drive her to the airport on Monday. Once there, though, officials say she boarded a flight to Casablanca, and police suspect she intended to meet up with a man with whom she is listed as being in a relationship on Facebook.
Police are unsure whether that friend, Simo El Adala, is a real person, and according to his profile, he lives in Uruguay. Authorities believe El Adala or whoever is posing as him paid for Arthur's ticket—though Arthur's flight landed in Casablanca, she has not been heard from since she took off, and Homeland Security and the FBI are currently working with local police in hopes of finding her.
The State Department's website currently notes that "the potential for terrorist violence against U.S. interests and citizens exists in Morocco," and warns travelers to "be keenly aware of their surroundings and adhere to prudent security practices such as avoiding predictable travel patterns and maintaining a low profile."
Arthur is described as blonde and blue-eyed, standing at about 5 feet tall and weighing 150 pounds—she was last seen wearing black yoga pants, a black sleeveless shirt, and pink, blue and white Nike brand sneakers while carrying a red suit case.
Update 11:16 a.m.: Police say Rebecca Arthur has been found safe in Morocco, at a seaside community located about 220 miles south of Casablana. Authorities report that she was indeed with the purported Facebook boyfriend, Simo El Adala, and officials are working on getting her back home.
