French Family of 11 Believed to Have Left for Syria Jihad

Eleven members of the same family from the French city of Nice are believed to have left for Syria, of whom some are suspected of planning to fight alongside jihadists, a judicial source said Wednesday.

The anti-terrorist section of the Paris public prosecutor's office has opened an investigation into the disappearance of the family, acting on a "stack of evidence" pointing to their departure to Syria, the source said.

The family is believed to have left the country at the end of September.

The 11 include a man and his two sisters, their mother, and their respective spouses and children, including a baby, the source said.

Prime Minister Manuel Valls estimates that hundreds of French citizens have left to fight alongside extremist militants in Syria.