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The convictions by a Paris court were thought to be the first in France of potential jihadi fighters for Syria. The prison sentences show that justice intends to be tough on the scores of young French Muslims drawn to the Syrian civil war - even if ...
Three French men jailed for planning Syria jihadFrance Convicts 3 for Wanting to Fight in Syria
Three young men were convicted and handed prison sentences Friday for
trying to travel to Syria, a magnet for foreign fighters, even though
they never left France.
The convictions by a Paris court were thought to be the first in France
of potential jihadi fighters for Syria. The prison sentences show that
justice intends to be tough on the scores of young French Muslims drawn
to the Syrian civil war — even if they never make it to their
destination.
The court handed down prison terms ranging from two to five years for
criminal association with the intent to commit terrorist acts, a
sweeping charge used in France to cast a wide net in terror cases.
French authorities, like their counterparts elsewhere in Europe, are
deeply concerned about the attraction the three-year war exerts on
western Muslims. They fear a potential threat from returning fighters,
fully radicalized and with battle-honed skills.
Even young French adolescents have made their way to Syria, or tried to
go. A 14-year-old girl was stopped last week before boarding her flight
to Turkey, the common route to Syria, according to the prosecutor's
office in Grenoble, her hometown.
French authorities have said that more than 600 French had left for
Syria, were plotting to go or have returned. More than 20 French have
been killed in the fighting.
"This is a message being sent to all people tempted by similar
adventures," attorney Julien Fresnault said of the verdict. The court
was "anticipating a danger, but there are no (terrorist) acts" in the
case. His client, Youssef Ettaoujar, 26, received a five-year prison
term with one year suspended — the toughest sentence of the three.
The three men, aged between 21 and 26, were arrested in 2012 as they
tried to board a plane for Turkey. They contended during their February
trial that their objective was humanitarian, not fighting battles.
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