Thousands of young British Muslim men are traveling to Syria to fight for al Qaeda-linked groups as it has become the "in vogue" thing to do, according to the director of the European Union’s crime intelligence agency.
The Telegraph reports:
Traveling to Syria to fight for al-Qaeda is "in vogue" among young British Muslims, the director of the European Union’s crime intelligence agency said.
Rob Wainwright, who heads Europol, warned that "multiple thousands" of young Muslim men may have travelled to Syria to fight for al-Qaeda-linked groups. [...]
Wainwright said the location of Syria, which is closer to Europe than the rest of the Middle East, is making it easier to travel there.
"We see movements through obviously parts of eastern Europe, a lot of overland movements, of course, sometimes flying into Istanbul and then movements through [to Syria]," said Mr Wainwright.
"It’s nearer to the rest of Europe, of course, than Afghanistan. At least the neighboring region is kind of safer and more stable than Afghanistan. To a certain extent, therefore, it’s perhaps an easier destination than some of these."