French authorities arrest a man suspected of being one of the top recruiters of young jihadis for the civil war in Syria, the Interior Ministry said Thursday, according to Reuters.
Mourad Fares, 30, was arrested Wednesday night at Paris' Charles de Gaulle airport, nearly a month after he was detained in Turkey, a transit country for fighters wanting to enter Syria, Reuters reported.
Fares, from Thonon-les-Bains in the foothills of the Alps, went to Syria in July 2013, and had links to the predecessor of the Islamic State group, the most brutal among myriad jihadi organizations, then to the al Qaeda-linked Nusra Front, according to Reuters.
French intelligence agencies have long suspected Fares was among those luring young French people to jihad in Syria, adding that the number of minors heading to Syria from France raised alarm bells with authorities early this year, Reuters reported.
The ministry said his role was considered crucial in cases in Toulouse and Strasbourg, according to Reuters.
Six youths from Strasbourg were arrested after returning home in May, part of a group of 14 reported to have left to join the jihad, according to Reuters. Authorities across the West fear the return of battle-hardened jihadis, saying the fighters have the will and skills to mount attacks at home.
With about 5 million Muslims, the largest Muslim population in Western Europe, France has been particularly vulnerable to the growing phenomenon of citizens turning to jihad, with calls to become a fighter are often put out on social networks, Reuters reported.
Authorities estimate about 900 people from France have been implicated in jihad in the Syrian region, according to Reuters.
New anti-terrorism legislation to combat jihadi recruitment will be debated by French lawmakers next Monday, Reuters reported.
