France faces growing exodus of volunteers to fight in Syria
- 10 years ago
The al-Qaeda linked Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant releases video of so-called fighters in Syria.
A young Frenchman named Nicholas Bons is featured. He says he is French, that his parents are both French and he converted to Islam. He says jihad in Syria is mandatory.
He blew himself up in a suicide attack in December in Homs. He used a car bomb which exploded near a primary school and killed eight people.
With Europe's largest Muslim population, France is becoming a major center for recruitment.
Top anti-terror judge Marc Trevidic judge says a mediator is needed to advise young recruits that Islam doesn't require anyone to go fighting at the "other end of the planet."
(SOUNDBITE) (French) FRENCH ANTI-TERROR JUDGE MARC TREVIDIC SAYING:
"So far, we have only relied on anti-terrorist justice, this means on crackdown only, and that's a failure. It's an obvious observation, it's a failure."
In January French President Francois Hollande said hu
A young Frenchman named Nicholas Bons is featured. He says he is French, that his parents are both French and he converted to Islam. He says jihad in Syria is mandatory.
He blew himself up in a suicide attack in December in Homs. He used a car bomb which exploded near a primary school and killed eight people.
With Europe's largest Muslim population, France is becoming a major center for recruitment.
Top anti-terror judge Marc Trevidic judge says a mediator is needed to advise young recruits that Islam doesn't require anyone to go fighting at the "other end of the planet."
(SOUNDBITE) (French) FRENCH ANTI-TERROR JUDGE MARC TREVIDIC SAYING:
"So far, we have only relied on anti-terrorist justice, this means on crackdown only, and that's a failure. It's an obvious observation, it's a failure."
In January French President Francois Hollande said hu