France: Mother sues government for allowing her jihadi son to travel to Syria

A French mother is suing the government for allowing her teenage son's travel to Syria and take part in the ongoing jihadi battle.

In the lawsuit filed against the French government, the mother of the 16-year-old boy argues authorities should have taken more steps to prevent her son from fleeing France.

"He told me he was going to sleep over at a friend's house. The next day, he hadn't returned and he didn't answer his cell phone, which was not like him. The other mothers in the neighbourhood told me he had left with friends for Turkey in order to reach Syria," the mother, identified as Nadine D, told French daily Le Parisien.

The teenager is believed to have reached Syria after travelling via Turkey a year ago. The mother says the authorities failed to ask the minor why he was travelling alone and without a passport.

"Given current events, the border police should have at least questioned a minor travelling alone to such a destination. Common sense should have led them to ask him why he was going there, if he had family ties there and why he was not accompanied," she added.

Reports suggest he joined the al-Qaeda's Syrian arm of al-Nusra Front after reaching the conflict zone.

In response to Nadine, the French interior ministry was quoted as saying: "The young man had the right to go to Turkey with his identity card. What were the police supposed to do? Deprive him of his right to free movement, without any legal basis?"

The French rules legally allow minors with a valid identity proof to travel abroad without being accompanied by an adult.