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Paris terror attacks
Opinion

Paris terrorist attacks underline the need to root out the causes that radicalise youth

Zhou Zunyou says the atrocities highlight the problem of foreign terrorist fighters in our midst, and any lasting solution must include efforts to fully integrate at-risk communities into society

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Identified as the suspected mastermind behind the Paris attacks that killed 130 people, Abdelhamid Abaaoud, one of Islamic State's most high-profile European recruits, died during a gun battle with French police commandos several days after the deadly attacks. Pictured in an undated photograph published in the Islamic State's online magazine Dabiq and posted on a social media website. REUTERS/Social Media Website via Reuters TVATTENTION EDITORS - THIS IMAGE WAS PROVIDED BY A THIRD PARTY. REUTERS IS UNABLE TO INDEPENDENTLY VERIFY THE AUTHENTICITY, CONTENT, LOCATION OR DATE OF THIS IMAGE. IT IS DISTRIBUTED EXACTLY AS RECEIVED BY REUTERS, AS A SERVICE TO CLIENTS. FOR EDITORIAL USE ONLY. NOT FOR SALE FOR MARKETING OR ADVERTISING CAMPAIGNS. SEARCH "NEWSMAKERS� FOR ALL 20 IMAGES. TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY
Zhou Zunyou
The suspected mastermind behind the Paris attacks, Abdelhamid Abaaoud, pictured here in an undated photo taken from an Islamic State website, was one of Islamic State's most high-profile European recruits. He died during a gun battle with French police several days after the deadly attacks. Photo: Reuters
The suspected mastermind behind the Paris attacks, Abdelhamid Abaaoud, pictured here in an undated photo taken from an Islamic State website, was one of Islamic State's most high-profile European recruits. He died during a gun battle with French police several days after the deadly attacks. Photo: Reuters
Shortly after the terrorist attacks in Paris that left 130 people dead, French President François Hollande blamed Islamic State for the carnage. The group in turn claimed responsibility for the attacks as retribution for France’s involvement in the air strikes on IS militants in Syria and Iraq.

READ MORE: Coverage of the Paris terrorist attacks

So far, four of the seven suicide attackers have been identified as French nationals. Three of the four are believed to have spent time in Syria and Iraq. The Paris attacks heighten French concerns about the grave threat posed by radicalised French Muslims who have returned home after receiving terrorist training abroad.

France is particularly vulnerable to terrorist activities carried out by its own citizens; it has the biggest contingent of European fighters in the Syria and Iraq conflict zone

The slaughter in Paris caused shock, but not surprise. In January, terrorists targeted the satirical magazine Charlie Hebdo and a Jewish grocery store; two of the three perpetrators were returning fighters with ties to al-Qaeda and IS.

France is particularly vulnerable to terrorist activities carried out by its own citizens; as home to Europe’s largest Muslim population, numbering some five million, it has the biggest contingent of European fighters in the Syria and Iraq conflict zone. According to French authorities’ most recent estimates, as many as 2,000 French nationals have been implicated in jihadist networks. Moreover, 571 French citizens are fighting for Islamic State or other terrorist groups, 141 have died there, and 246 have returned home.

A woman stands at a makeshift memorial for the victims of the deadly attacks in Paris. The bloodbath challenged the effectiveness of the French counterterrorism apparatus. Photo: AFP
A woman stands at a makeshift memorial for the victims of the deadly attacks in Paris. The bloodbath challenged the effectiveness of the French counterterrorism apparatus. Photo: AFP
The bloodbath in Paris challenged the effectiveness of the French counterterrorism apparatus, which has moved aggressively, especially in the aftermath of the Charlie Hebdo attacks, to use its broad powers to seize passports of individuals suspected of planning terrorism-related travel to the Middle East.
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