Hundreds of inmates radicalized during the war in Syria and the rise of Islamic State are set to be released from French prisons before the end of next year, the Wall Street Journal reports.
Of those set to be released, about 50 were serving terrorism-related sentences, and a further 400 were classified as “radicalized” while in prison.
According to the WSJ, “That group includes inmates finishing longer sentences who were convicted before the Syrian war, such as Djamel Beghal, who left prison on Monday.”
“Mr. Beghal was handed his first terrorism-related conviction in 2001, another in 2013, and French magistrates said he was a mentor to two of the men who launched the 2015 Charlie Hebdo attacks,” the WSJ added.
A new unit is set to be formed by French police designed to monitor the former inmates in hopes of preventing further potential attacks.
Earlier this year Paris prosecutor François Molin warned, “We run a huge risk of seeing people leave prison at the end of their sentences who will not have reformed at all, who are potentially even more extreme as a result of their time inside.”
Australia faces a similar predicament with up to 20 convicted terrorists to be released without any restrictions on their freedom, according to reports. The Australian government is scrambling to introduce new legislation for extended supervision, as the first terrorist will be eligible for release next year.
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