France Detains Man Suspected of Wanting to Join Syria Radicals
A man suspected of wanting to fight alongside radical Islamist rebels in Syria was detained in France as part of an anti-terrorist operation, a source close to the case said Wednesday.
The unidentified 47-year-old was visiting his family near the eastern city of Belfort when he was taken in for questioning Tuesday by intelligence officers, the source told Agence France Presse.
The detention comes just days after a woman in the Netherlands was arrested on suspicion of recruiting people to fight alongside extremists in Syria, amid growing concern about young Dutch Muslims being enlisted for the conflict.
As many as 600 Europeans -- including 92 from France -- may have joined rebel forces in Syria since early 2011, according to research by the International Center for the Study of Radicalization at King's College London.
The man lives in the southwestern city of Toulouse, the source said, without giving further details.
According to France Bleu local radio, he could be close to "two brothers from Toulouse, whose videos were posted last week on YouTube", with one of them calling on French President Francois Hollande "to convert to Islam".
The radio posted a statement on its website from a witness who said the man was detained while he was in a car.
"Twenty balaclava-clad men came from everywhere, armed to the teeth," he said.
"In the passenger seat was a relatively elderly woman, a woman, who had a scarf on her head, but not like a burqa or a niqab. In the driver's seat was a man with a beard and longish hair."
Source: Agence France Presse
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