youth and fire
© Ali Hashisho / Reuters
Around 2,000 teenagers have been radicalized by the Islamic State propaganda in France, a security source told Le Figaro newspaper, adding that the number of girls embracing jihadist ideology is on the rise.

Since the start of the year security force have identified 1,954 young men and women as Islamic State (IS, formerly ISIS/ISIL) terrorist organization sympathizers, Le Figaro newspaper reported.

An unnamed high-raked security service official told the paper that the levels of radicalization among teens in the country have increased by 121 percent compared to January 2015.

17 French youths have been killed as they fought for the jihadists in Syria and Iraq, the source added. According to the official, 37 teens have been recently indicted in the country on charges related to extremism and terrorism. Another trend that worries the authorities is the increasing number of teenage girls sympathizing with the Islamic State terrorists, he said.

The jihadists are looking for youths with psychological problems, who experience difficulties at school or go through their parents' divorce, the source stressed. Special recruiting techniques, employed by IS, make those young men and women an easy target for the radicals, he added.

BFMTV broadcaster reported that only in the first week of September four teens were arrested in France for establishing contacts with Islamic State. They were all recruited by Rashid Kassim, a 29-year-old Frenchman, who contacted teens through social media and encouraged them to stage terror attacks.

Earlier this week, French Interior Minister, French Interior Minister, Bernard Cazeneuve, said that the terrorist threat in the country is higher than ever before. The minister added that 300 people have been arrested in France for links to terrorist activity since the beginning of the year.

France has been on high alert for about 18 months since the Paris attacks in November 2015 when at least 130 people were killed by Islamic State terrorists. This year the country was shocked by a tragedy in Nice on July 14 when a truck driven by an IS supporter plowed through crowds during Bastille Day celebrations, killing 84 people. Also in July, two Islamic radicals murdered Father Jacques Hamel in northern Saint-Etienne-du-Rouvray by cutting the 85-year-old priest's throat.