© 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.
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