French 15-year-olds Thought to Be Youngest Western Jihadis after Travelling to Syria

THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: Teenage boys from Toulouse are thought to be the youngest Westerners to have travelled to Syria to join al Qaeda

Two French schoolboys have travelled to Syria to become al Qaeda fighters, it emerged on Saturday.

The 15-year-olds from Toulouse are believed to be the youngest ever jihadists to emerge from a country increasingly associated with Islamic radicalism.

It comes after two British men were arrested in connection with Syria-related terror offences.

Yusuf Sawar and Mohammed Ahmed, both 21, from Handsworth, Birmingham, have been charged with planning and travelling to Syria for terrorism.

The French boys, who cannot be named for legal reasons, did not turn up for school on January 6 – instead using a family credit card to fly to the Middle East.

One of the boy's father launched an appeal for their return, saying his son had been lured into extremism on the internet.

He told La Depeche [sic] newspaper: "From the start of December, my son was brainwashed online. » | Peter Allen, Paris | Saturday, January 18, 2014

LA DÉPÊCHE: Français et jihadistes | » | Jean-Pierre Bédéï | samedi 18 janvier 2014

Taqiy[y]a, or the Terrorist ‘Art of Deception'

FRANCE 24: A year after the Toulouse attacks by Mohamed Merah (pictured), French counterterrorism experts are monitoring the practice of "taqiy[y]a" - or deceiving society by concealing one’s faith – and its uses in jihadist circles.

Nearly a year ago, as one of France’s longest-ever police sieges was about to end on the morning of March 22, 2012, Mohamed Merah – also known as “the Toulouse gunman” – uttered a cry that seemed enigmatic to the uninformed, but was weighted with meaning for counterterrorism experts.

“It’s not the money, it’s the deception that’s critical,” said the 23-year-old French-Algerian shortly before he jumped off his Toulouse apartment window and was gunned down by an elite French anti-terror unit.

The somewhat cryptic cry was a likely reference to “taqiy[y]a” – a form of religious dissimulation or legal dispensation in which believers deny their faith or even commit blasphemous acts as a deception if they are seriously threatened or at risk of persecution.

"Concealment is a technique as old as the world," explained French anti-terrorism judge Marc Trévidic in an interview with FRANCE 24. “It’s also an essential component of any war strategy, regardless of the people involved.”

In Islam, taqiy[y]a dates back to the time when Shiite Muslims were hounded and persecuted by the Sunni caliphs following the 7th century schism between the followers of the Prophet’s son-in-law, Ali, and the Sunni caliphate.

For the traditionally persecuted Shiite minority, deception – or taqiy[y]a – was considered a matter of survival. Although the term does not exist in Sunni jurisprudence, there have been rare cases of Sunnis practicing taqiy[y]a in extraordinary circumstances. » | Wednesday, March 13, 2013

Toulouse Siege Over as Gunman Wounded and Hostages Freed
THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: A gunman holding up a bank in Toulouse has been wounded by police and the final hostages have been freed, according to reports.

Local reports said three gunshots were fired, the gunman was injured and the hostages were freed.

The assault began at 4.45pm local time after a second team of armed police arrived from Marseille and were seen outside.

The man, aged 26, named locally as "Boumaza", has been described as a “schizophrenic” by the local authorities but has told police that he is a member of al-Qaeda.

After one hostage was released this afternoon, the armed man spoke to his sister during negotiations with the police but continues to hold three hostage[s].

The gunman insisted that he was motivated by "religious motivations" and had not carried out his attack with the motive of robbery or money. » | Bruno Waterfield | Wednesday, June 20, 2012

Related »

Al-Qaeda: France Bank Incident: Hostages Held in Toulouse
BBC: Four people have been taken hostage in a bank in the southern French city of Toulouse by a man claiming to be linked to al-Qaeda, police say.

Officials say the gunman first demanded money. When he was refused, a shot was fired and hostages taken.

The man demanded to speak to the elite Raid police unit that shot Islamist gunman Mohamed Merah.

Merah, who claimed al-Qaeda training, killed seven people in Toulouse before he was shot dead by police in March.

There are no reports of injuries in the incident so far.

The area around the bank has been cordoned off and two nearby schools have been closed.

"We're taking measures so we can start a dialogue," said public prosecutor Michel Valet, at the scene. » | Wednesday, June 20, 2012

LE FIGARO: Prise d'otages dans une banque à Toulouse : Un individu qui se revendique d'al-Qaida retient quatre personnes depuis 10 heures ce matin, dans une succursale de la banque CIC. ¶ Un homme armé se revendiquant d'al-Qaida retient en otage mercredi quatre personnes dans une succursale de la banque CIC, avenue Camille Pujol, à Toulouse. Le directeur de l'établissement fait partie des captifs. » | Par lefigaro.fr, Gary Assouline, Jean-Marc Leclerc | mercredi 20 juin 2012