This article is from the source 'guardian' and was first published or seen
on .
It last changed over 40 days ago and won't be checked again for changes.
France seizes passports of six alleged jihadis with plans to join fight in Syria
Sorry - this page has been removed.
(about 17 hours later)
Authorities in France have seized the passports of six alleged French jihadis who were planning to depart to fight in Syria, the country’s interior minister, Bernard Cazeneuve, said on Monday.
This could be because it launched early, our rights have expired, there was a legal issue, or for another reason.
It was the first use of a key measure in an anti-terrorism bill passed by parliament in November, which empowers authorities to seize passports and identity cards of those suspected of imminent departure abroad to wage jihad.
“Today these six administrative bans on leaving the country have been signed, and another 40 are in preparation,” Cazeneuve told reporters outside the interior ministry.
For further information, please contact:
“We wanted this measure … because if French people leave to commit actions in Iraq and Syria, upon their return they represent an even greater danger for the national territory and risk committing widespread terrorist acts.”
The government estimates that about 1,400 French citizens have links to recruitment cells for Syria and Iraq, of which about 400 are already fighting alongside militants.
Some of the suspected jihadis banned from leaving the country on Monday were pointed out to authorities through a hotline put in place last year, while others were identified through ongoing investigations, an aide to Cazeneuve said.
Suspects have the right to appeal against the new measure in an administrative court.
France has been on high alert following Islamist attacks in Paris last month in which 17 people and three gunmen were killed. The country has long been a target for Islamist militants because of its record as a colonial power in north Africa and problems integrating its large Muslim minority.
