France to Ban Would-Be ’Jihadists’ to Leave Country Through New Bill

Local Editor

France plans to ban individuals linked to extremist groups from leaving the country in a bid to prevent attacks by militants returning from the Middle East, according to a draft bill set to be unveiled on Wednesday.

The new bill includes a ban on foreign travel of up to six months for individuals suspected of being radicalised, and gives authorities powers to temporarily confiscate and invalidate their passports.

French Interior Minister Bernard Cazeneuve told Tuesday's edition of the daily Le Parisien that, "We have a duty to react as almost 800 young people are involved."

Of that figure, some 600 French nationals are either currently in Syria or planning to go there, he said.

Cazeneuve, who has already put in place a raft of policies this year to try to prevent young French becoming radicalized, will unveil the bill to cabinet on Wednesday.

An Interior Ministry source said, "The objective of this bill is to increase the number of hurdles to discourage those who want to go and to stop them actually going."

Principally, it allows authorities to stop French nationals traveling overseas for an indefinite period if they are suspected of having firm links to a "jihadist" network.

Investigators will also now be able to hold and question individuals on a low threshold of evidence, under broad "suspicion of conspiring in relation to terrorism" - a measure intended to catch those who only associate loosely with other potential militants.

Moreover, airlines will be banned from carrying targeted passengers and will have to notify French authorities the moment one of them makes a reservation.

If they do manage to go abroad, they will be the subject of an international arrest warrant.

The bill would also allow websites that condone terrorism to be blocked without a judge's approval.

France has seen a sharp rise this year in citizens going to join extremist militants in Syria and now Iraq.

European governments, especially those that supported a long extremist-marked insurgency against the Syrian government, have been tightening anti-terrorism laws over the last 18 months as the Syrian conflict enters its fourth year.

In June, nine countries agreed to share more intelligence and take down extremist websites to try to stop Europeans going to fight in Syria and bringing militancy home.

The ease of communication through social media and the growing turmoil in the Middle East have created new pressures, and the government has been criticized for not stopping French nationals as young as 14 from heading to Syria.

According to official estimates, around 800 French nationals or residents - including several dozen women - have travelled to Syria, come back from, or plan to go there.

Authorities are concerned that those who come back will engage in deadly acts of violence in the country when they return.

Sources: News Agencies, Edited by website team