The Islamic State terrorist group (IS) “are currently not looking to send youngsters to Syria but for them to stay where they are, to spread death and destruction.” This is the view of the Federal Prosecutor’s Office spokesman, Eric Van der Sypt, today (Wednesday) in Het Nieuwsblad. He says that this raises “both a new trend and a new IS tactic.”
Mr Van der Sypt goes on in the interview, which also features in La Dernière Heure, “Increasingly ‘radicalism’ cases relate to minors (boys or girls in the 16-17 year old bracket, editor's note).”
He goes on, “Youngsters are easy to influence and recruiters are all too aware of this.”
Recruitment takes place through social networks, often via the application Telegram.
Van der Sypt further explains, “Youngsters are indoctrinated through this channel and thus prepared, sooner or later, to commit an attack.”
As yet, there has been no concrete intelligence of an attack being perpetrated by these radicalised minors.
Nevertheless, the Federal Prosecutor's Office indicates that there is a “seriously worrying” trend in this direction.
The Brussels Times
