2,000 Teens Radicalized by ISIS in France – Report

© 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 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.

Of course they are, because you have to be psychologically  impaired to embrace that lunatic ideology, or Islam for that matter.

“I came to the absolute conviction that it is impossible…

impossible…for any human being to read the biography

of Mohammed and believe in it, and then emerge 

a psychologically and mentally healthy person.” 

- Syrian Psychiatrist Dr. Wafa Sultan

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.

Why is he still alive?

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.