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The Sun
11 hours ago
- Politics
- The Sun
Violent videos fuel terror plots among French teens, prosecutors warn
PARIS: French prosecutors have raised alarms over a growing trend of teenage boys allegedly plotting terror attacks, with many influenced by violent videos consumed online. Cases range from a 14-year-old planning to bomb an Israeli embassy to a 16-year-old convicted of plotting attacks on far-right bars. The National Anti-Terror Prosecutor's Office (PNAT) noted a sharp rise in minors charged with terror-related offences, from 15 in 2023 to 18 in 2024, with 11 cases already recorded by July this year. Most suspects are boys aged 13 to 18, often with no prior criminal history but described as introverted or from troubled family backgrounds. A judicial source told AFP that many of these teens consume violent content unrelated to terrorism, such as videos from Latin American cartels. 'They think they're proving themselves as men by watching them,' the source said. Sociologist Farhad Khosrokhavar explained that adolescents in this age group seek recognition through violence, even if it means embracing negative role models. Social media algorithms play a significant role in accelerating radicalisation. Researcher Laurene Renaut highlighted how platforms like TikTok can quickly funnel users into extremist content. 'In less than three hours, you can find yourself in an algorithm bubble dedicated to the Islamic State,' she said. One convicted teen, motivated by a sense of injustice after watching footage of the 2019 Christchurch mosque attacks, told investigators his radicalisation began at 13 while playing Minecraft. He was later sentenced to four years in prison for planning attacks on far-right bars. Critics argue that France's legal system, which charges minors for associating with terrorist criminals, often imposes harsh penalties without clear evidence of radicalisation. Defence lawyers claim some cases involve little more than aggressive online statements rather than concrete threats. Despite interventions like therapy and social media bans, experts remain uncertain about long-term deradicalisation. 'We do not know if these youth could again be drawn in by extremist ideas,' a judicial source cautioned. - AFP
Toronto Sun
11 hours ago
- Politics
- Toronto Sun
Violent videos draw more French teens into 'terror' plots, say prosecutors
Published Jul 29, 2025 • 5 minute read A judicial source told AFP social media provides teens with a flow of violent videos Photo by Wakil KOHSAR / AFP/File Paris (AFP) — One 14-year-old was allegedly planning to blow up an Israeli embassy, while a 16-year-old was convicted of having plotted to attack far-right bars incensed by 'injustice'. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. THIS CONTENT IS RESERVED FOR SUBSCRIBERS ONLY Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada. Unlimited online access to articles from across Canada with one account. Get exclusive access to the Toronto Sun ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition that you can share, download and comment on. Enjoy insights and behind-the-scenes analysis from our award-winning journalists. Support local journalists and the next generation of journalists. Daily puzzles including the New York Times Crossword. SUBSCRIBE TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada. Unlimited online access to articles from across Canada with one account. Get exclusive access to the Toronto Sun ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition that you can share, download and comment on. Enjoy insights and behind-the-scenes analysis from our award-winning journalists. Support local journalists and the next generation of journalists. Daily puzzles including the New York Times Crossword. REGISTER / SIGN IN TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience. Access articles from across Canada with one account. Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments. Enjoy additional articles per month. Get email updates from your favourite authors. THIS ARTICLE IS FREE TO READ REGISTER TO UNLOCK. Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience. Access articles from across Canada with one account Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments Enjoy additional articles per month Get email updates from your favourite authors Don't have an account? Create Account French prosecutors are alarmed at an increasing number of young teenage boys seemingly plotting 'terror' attacks, and say they all share an addiction to violent videos online. As communities worldwide worry about boys being exposed to toxic and misogynistic influences on social media, French magistrates say they are looking into what draws young teens into 'terrorism'. 'Just a few years ago, there were just a handful of minors charged with terror offences,' France's National Anti-Terror Prosecutor's Office (PNAT) said. 'But we had 15 in 2013, 18 in 2024 and we already had 11 by July 1' this year. They are aged 13 to 18 and hail from all over France, the PNAT said. Lawyers and magistrates told AFP these teens are usually boys with no delinquent past, many of whom are introverts or have had family trouble. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. The PNAT opened a special branch in May to better examine the profiles of minors drawn into 'terrorism', but it said it has already noticed they are all 'great users of social media'. 'Most are fans of ultra-violent, war or pornographic content,' it said. In France, 'terrorism' is largely synonymous with extremist Islamist ideas such as those of the Islamic State jihadist group. Only in recent months has the PNAT taken on cases different in nature — one an adult suspected of a racist far-right killing, and the other an 18-year-old charged with developing a misogynist plot to kill women. A 14-year-old schoolboy who stabbed to death a teaching assistant in June was a fan of 'violent video games', although his case was not deemed 'terrorist' in nature. Your noon-hour look at what's happening in Toronto and beyond. By signing up you consent to receive the above newsletter from Postmedia Network Inc. Please try again This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. In the case of France's youngest 'terror' suspects, a judicial source told AFP, social media provides them with a flow of violent videos that are 'not necessarily linked to terrorism', such as from Latin American cartels. 'They think they're proving themselves as men by watching them,' the source said. Sociologist Farhad Khosrokhavar said the teens were 'neither children nor adults'. This 'leads them to violence in order to be recognized as adults — even if it's a negative adult,' he said. Laurene Renaut, a researcher looking into jihadist circles online, said social media algorithms could suck adolescents in fast. 'In less that three hours on TikTok, you can find yourself in an algorithm bubble dedicated to the Islamic State' group, she said. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. You can be bathing in 'war chants, decapitations, AI reconstructions of glorious (according to IS) past actions or even simulations of actions to come,' she said. The algorithms feed users 'melancholic' content to boost their 'feeling of loneliness, with ravaged landscapes, supposed to reflect the soul,' she said. 'Injustice' One such teenager said he was motivated by a sense of 'injustice' after seeing a video online of an attack on a mosque in New Zealand. White supremacist Brenton Tarrant went on a rampage, killing 51 worshippers at mosques around Christchurch in March 2019 in the country's deadliest modern-day mass shooting. The French suspect was convicted last year for planning 'terror' attacks on far-right bars. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. He told investigators it started when he was 13 and playing Minecraft, a video game, on gamer social media platform Discord. 'Someone sent Tarrant's video,' he said. 'I thought it was unjust to see the men, women and children be massacred.' 'I then watched the videos of imams telling people to stay calm and those of terrorists from the far right, and I thought it was unjust,' he added. 'Then I saw those of jihadists urging help,' he said. 'I thought that by defending this cause, my life would make sense.' A French appeals court in July 2024 sentenced him to four years in jail, including two suspended, after he contacted an undercover agent to find out about weapons. The court justified the sentence with the 'gravity' of his planned actions, but noted he lacked signs of 'deeply rooted ideological radicalization'. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. Rather, it said, the defendant was the child of fighting parents from a very violent neighbourhood, who had been 'significantly deprived of affection' and had sought to 'fit in' with internet users. His lawyer Jean-Baptiste Riolacci told AFP he was an 'essentially lonely, sad and good kid, whose only occupation beyond his computer was gliding around on his scooter'. 'Guesswork' The judicial source, who spoke anonymously due to the sensitivity of the issue, said the French system favoured early intervention through charging youth for associating with 'terrorist' criminals, and then adapting their punishment according to the severity of the accusations. But attorney Pierre-Henri Baert, who defended another teenager, said the system did not work. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. His client was handed three years behind bars in May for sharing an IS propaganda post calling for attacks against Jewish people as a 16-year-old. 'It's a very harsh sentence considering his very young age, the fact he had no (criminal) record, and was really in the end just accused of statements online,' he said. Another lawyer, who worked on similar cases but asked to remain anonymous due to the sensitivity of the issue, agreed. 'When the judiciary goes after people for terrorist criminal association, it's basically doing guesswork,' she said, adding that the 'terrorist' label could be very stigmatizing. 'There's no differentiation between a kid who sent aggressive messages and a suspect who actually bought weapons,' she added. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. Two judicial sources said teens prosecuted for alleged 'terrorism' are usually only spotted through their behaviour on social media. They are then charged over other actions, such as moving to an encrypted messaging app, sharing recipes to make explosives or looking for funding, the sources said. A Paris court will in September try three teenagers who, aged 14 and 15, allegedly planned to blow up a truck outside the Israeli embassy in Belgium. They had been spotted at high school for their 'radical remarks', but were then found in a park with 'bottles of hydrochloric acid' containing 'aluminum foil', a homemade type of explosive, the PNAT said. Their telephones showed they had watched videos of massacres. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. Jennifer Cambla, a lawyer who represents one of the defendants, said accusations against her client were disproportionate. 'My client may have had the behaviour of a radicalized person by consulting jihadist websites, which is forbidden. But he is far from having plotted an attack,' she said. But another lawyer, speaking anonymously, said arresting teenagers 'fantasizing about jihadism' could be an opportunity to turn their lives around — even if it involved 'a monstrous shock'. 'The arrests are tough,' with specialized forces in ski masks pulling sacks over the suspect's head, they said. But 'as minors, they are followed closely, they see therapists. They are not allowed on social media, and they do sport again,' the lawyer said. One of the judicial sources warned it was not clear that this worked. It 'makes it look like they are being rapidly deradicalized, but we do not know if these youth could again be drawn in by extremist ideas,' they said. MLB Sunshine Girls Opinion Toronto & GTA Toronto & GTA
Local France
12 hours ago
- Local France
Violent videos draw more French teens into 'terror' plots, say prosecutors
French prosecutors are alarmed at an increasing number of young teenage boys seemingly plotting "terror" attacks, and say they all share an addiction to violent videos online. As communities worldwide worry about boys being exposed to toxic and misogynistic influences on social media, French magistrates say they are looking into what draws young teens into "terrorism". "Just a few years ago, there were just a handful of minors charged with terror offences," France's National Anti-Terror Prosecutor's Office ( Parquet national anti-terroriste , PNAT) said. "But we had 15 in 2013, 18 in 2024 and we already had 11 by July 1st" this year. They are aged 13 to 18 and hail from all over France, the PNAT said. Lawyers and magistrates told AFP these teens are usually boys with no delinquent past, many of whom are introverts or have had family trouble. The PNAT opened a special branch in May to better examine the profiles of minors drawn into "terrorism", but it said it has already noticed they are all "great users of social media". Advertisement "Most are fans of ultra-violent, war or pornographic content," it said. In France, "terrorism" is largely synonymous with extremist Islamist ideas such as those of the Islamic State jihadist group. Only in recent months has the PNAT taken on cases different in nature -- one an adult suspected of a racist far-right killing, and the other an 18-year-old charged with developing a misogynist plot to kill women. A 14-year-old schoolboy who stabbed to death a teaching assistant in June was a fan of "violent video games", although his case was not deemed "terrorist" in nature. 'Proving themselves as men' In the case of France's youngest "terror" suspects, a judicial source told AFP, social media provides them with a flow of violent videos that are "not necessarily linked to terrorism", such as from Latin American cartels. "They think they're proving themselves as men by watching them," the source said. Sociologist Farhad Khosrokhavar said the teens were "neither children nor adults". This "leads them to violence in order to be recognised as adults -- even if it's a negative adult," he said. Laurene Renaut, a researcher looking into jihadist circles online, said social media algorithms could suck adolescents in fast. "In less than three hours on TikTok, you can find yourself in an algorithm bubble dedicated to the Islamic State group", she said. You can be bathing in "war chants, decapitations, AI reconstructions of glorious (according to IS) past actions or even simulations of actions to come," she said. The algorithms feed users "melancholic" content to boost their "feeling of loneliness, with ravaged landscapes, supposed to reflect the soul," she said. 'Injustice' One such teenager said he was motivated by a sense of "injustice" after seeing a video online of an attack on a mosque in New Zealand. White supremacist Brenton Tarrant went on a rampage, killing 51 worshippers at mosques around Christchurch in March 2019 in the country's deadliest modern-day mass shooting. The French suspect was convicted last year for planning "terror" attacks on far-right bars. He told investigators it started when he was 13 and playing Minecraft, a video game, on the gamer social media platform Discord. Advertisement "Someone sent Tarrant's video," he said. "I thought it was unjust to see the men, women and children be massacred." "I then watched the videos of imams telling people to stay calm and those of terrorists from the far right, and I thought it was unjust," he added. "Then I saw those of jihadists urging help," he said. "I thought that by defending this cause, my life would make sense." A French appeals court in July 2024 sentenced him to four years in jail, including two suspended, after he contacted an undercover agent to find out about weapons. The court justified the sentence with the "gravity" of his planned actions, but noted he lacked signs of "deeply rooted ideological radicalisation". Rather, it said, the defendant was the child of fighting parents from a very violent neighbourhood, who had been "significantly deprived of affection" and had sought to "fit in" with internet users. His lawyer Jean-Baptiste Riolacci told AFP he was an "essentially lonely, sad and good kid, whose only occupation beyond his computer was gliding around on his scooter". 'Guesswork' The judicial source, who spoke anonymously due to the sensitivity of the issue, said the French system favoured early intervention through charging youth for associating with "terrorist" criminals, and then adapting their punishment according to the severity of the accusations. Advertisement But attorney Pierre-Henri Baert, who defended another teenager, said the system did not work. His client was handed three years behind bars in May for sharing an IS propaganda post calling for attacks against Jewish people as a 16-year-old. "It's a very harsh sentence considering his very young age, the fact he had no (criminal) record, and was really in the end just accused of statements online," he said. Another lawyer, who worked on similar cases but asked to remain anonymous due to the sensitivity of the issue, agreed. "When the judiciary goes after people for terrorist criminal association, it's basically doing guesswork," she said, adding that the "terrorist" label could be very stigmatising. "There's no differentiation between a kid who sent aggressive messages and a suspect who actually bought weapons," she added. 'Fantasising about jihadism' Two judicial sources said teens prosecuted for alleged "terrorism" are usually only spotted through their behaviour on social media. They are then charged over other actions, such as moving to an encrypted messaging app, sharing recipes to make explosives or looking for funding, the sources said. A Paris court will in September try three teenagers who, aged 14 and 15, allegedly planned to blow up a truck outside the Israeli embassy in Belgium. They had been spotted at high school for their "radical remarks", but were then found in a park with "bottles of hydrochloric acid" containing "aluminium foil", a homemade type of explosive, the PNAT said. Advertisement Their telephones showed they had watched videos of massacres. Jennifer Cambla, a lawyer who represents one of the defendants, said accusations against her client were disproportionate. "My client may have had the behaviour of a radicalised person by consulting jihadist websites, which is forbidden. But he is far from having plotted an attack," she said. But another lawyer, speaking anonymously, said arresting teenagers "fantasising about jihadism" could be an opportunity to turn their lives around -- even if it involved "a monstrous shock". "The arrests are tough," with specialised forces in ski masks pulling sacks over the suspect's head, they said. But "as minors, they are followed closely, they see therapists. They are not allowed on social media, and they do sport again," the lawyer said. One of the judicial sources warned that it was not clear that this worked. It "makes it look like they are being rapidly deradicalised, but we do not know if these youth could again be drawn in by extremist ideas," they said.
Straits Times
13 hours ago
- Straits Times
Violent videos draw more French teens into ‘terror' plots, say prosecutors
Sign up now: Get ST's newsletters delivered to your inbox French prosecutors are alarmed at an increasing number of teenage boys seemingly plotting 'terror' attacks, and say they all share an addiction to violent videos online. PARIS - One 14-year-old was allegedly planning to blow up an Israeli embassy, while a 16-year-old was convicted of having plotted to attack far-right bars incensed by 'injustice'. French prosecutors are alarmed at an increasing number of young teenage boys seemingly plotting 'terror' attacks, and say they all share an addiction to violent videos online. As communities worldwide worry about boys being exposed to toxic and misogynistic influences on social media, French magistrates say they are looking into what draws young teens into 'terrorism'. 'Just a few years ago, there were just a handful of minors charged with terror offences,' France's National Anti-Terror Prosecutor's Office (PNAT) said. 'But we had 15 in 2013, 18 in 2024 and we already had 11 by July 1' this year. They are aged 13 to 18 and hail from all over France, the PNAT said. Lawyers and magistrates told AFP these teens are usually boys with no delinquent past, many of whom are introverts or have had family trouble. Top stories Swipe. Select. Stay informed. Singapore Terrorism threat in Singapore remains high, driven by events like Israeli-Palestinian conflict: ISD Singapore S'pore can and must meaningfully apply tech like AI in a way that creates jobs for locals: PM Wong Singapore 7, including child and firefighter, taken to hospital after fire breaks out in Toa Payoh flat Singapore ICA inspector obtained bribes in the form of sex acts from 6 foreign men in exchange for his help Singapore Doctor who forged certificates for aesthetic procedures gets 4 months' jail Singapore 12 motorists nabbed for providing illegal private-hire services: LTA Life Alone but not lonely: Tips from seniors who live solo and like it Asia Extreme weather turns Beijing into rain trap; 30 killed, over 80,000 evacuated The PNAT opened a special branch in May to better examine the profiles of minors drawn into 'terrorism', but it said it has already noticed they are all 'great users of social media'. 'Most are fans of ultra-violent, war or pornographic content,' it said. In France, 'terrorism' is largely synonymous with extremist Islamist ideas such as those of the Islamic State jihadist group. Only in recent months has the PNAT taken on cases different in nature – one an adult suspected of a racist far-right killing, and the other an 18-year-old charged with developing a misogynist plot to kill women. A 14-year-old schoolboy who stabbed to death a teaching assistant in June was a fan of 'violent video games', although his case was not deemed 'terrorist' in nature. 'Proving themselves as men' In the case of France's youngest 'terror' suspects, a judicial source told AFP, social media provides them with a flow of violent videos that are 'not necessarily linked to terrorism', such as from Latin American cartels. 'They think they're proving themselves as men by watching them,' the source said. Sociologist Farhad Khosrokhavar said the teens were 'neither children nor adults'. This 'leads them to violence in order to be recognised as adults – even if it's a negative adult,' he said. Ms Laurene Renaut, a researcher looking into jihadist circles online, said social media algorithms could suck adolescents in fast. 'In less than three hours on TikTok, you can find yourself in an algorithm bubble dedicated to the Islamic State' group, she said. You can be bathing in 'war chants, decapitations, AI reconstructions of glorious (according to IS) past actions or even simulations of actions to come,' she said. The algorithms feed users 'melancholic' content to boost their 'feeling of loneliness, with ravaged landscapes, supposed to reflect the soul,' she said. 'Injustice' One such teenager said he was motivated by a sense of 'injustice' after seeing a video online of an attack on a mosque in New Zealand. White supremacist Brenton Tarrant went on a rampage, killing 51 worshippers at mosques around Christchurch in March 2019 in the country's deadliest modern-day mass shooting. The French suspect was convicted in 2024 for planning 'terror' attacks on far-right bars. He told investigators it started when he was 13 and playing Minecraft, a video game, on gamer social media platform Discord. 'Someone sent Tarrant's video,' he said. 'I thought it was unjust to see the men, women and children be massacred.' 'I then watched the videos of imams telling people to stay calm and those of terrorists from the far right, and I thought it was unjust,' he added. 'Then I saw those of jihadists urging help,' he said. 'I thought that by defending this cause, my life would make sense.' A French appeals court in July 2024 sentenced him to four years in jail, including two suspended, after he contacted an undercover agent to find out about weapons. The court justified the sentence with the 'gravity' of his planned actions, but noted he lacked signs of 'deeply rooted ideological radicalisation'. Rather, it said, the defendant was the child of fighting parents from a very violent neighbourhood, who had been 'significantly deprived of affection' and had sought to 'fit in' with internet users. His lawyer Jean-Baptiste Riolacci told AFP he was an 'essentially lonely, sad and good kid, whose only occupation beyond his computer was gliding around on his scooter'. 'Guesswork' The judicial source, who spoke anonymously due to the sensitivity of the issue, said the French system favoured early intervention through charging youth for associating with 'terrorist' criminals, and then adapting their punishment according to the severity of the accusations. But attorney Pierre-Henri Baert, who defended another teenager, said the system did not work. His client was handed three years behind bars in May for sharing an ISIS propaganda post calling for attacks against Jewish people as a 16-year-old. 'It's a very harsh sentence considering his very young age, the fact he had no (criminal) record, and was really in the end just accused of statements online,' he said. Another lawyer, who worked on similar cases but asked to remain anonymous due to the sensitivity of the issue, agreed. 'When the judiciary goes after people for terrorist criminal association, it's basically doing guesswork,' she said, adding that the 'terrorist' label could be very stigmatising. 'There's no differentiation between a kid who sent aggressive messages and a suspect who actually bought weapons,' she added. Two judicial sources said teens prosecuted for alleged 'terrorism' are usually only spotted through their behaviour on social media. They are then charged over other actions, such as moving to an encrypted messaging app, sharing recipes to make explosives or looking for funding, the sources said. A Paris court will in September try three teenagers who, aged 14 and 15, allegedly planned to blow up a truck outside the Israeli embassy in Belgium. They had been spotted at high school for their 'radical remarks', but were then found in a park with 'bottles of hydrochloric acid' containing 'aluminium foil', a homemade type of explosive, the PNAT said. Their telephones showed they had watched videos of massacres. Ms Jennifer Cambla, a lawyer who represents one of the defendants, said accusations against her client were disproportionate. 'My client may have had the behaviour of a radicalised person by consulting jihadist websites, which is forbidden. But he is far from having plotted an attack,' she said. But another lawyer, speaking anonymously, said arresting teenagers 'fantasizing about jihadism' could be an opportunity to turn their lives around – even if it involved 'a monstruous shock'. 'The arrests are tough,' with specialised forces in ski masks pulling sacks over the suspect's head, they said. But 'as minors, they are followed closely, they see therapists. They are not allowed on social media, and they do sport again,' the lawyer said. One of the judicial sources warned it was not clear that this worked. It 'makes it look like they are being rapidly deradicalised, but we do not know if these youth could again be drawn in by extremist ideas,' they said. AFP
Malay Mail
14 hours ago
- Malay Mail
Violent videos draw more French teens into ‘terror' plots, say prosecutors
PARIS, July 29 — One 14-year-old was allegedly planning to blow up an Israeli embassy, while a 16-year-old was convicted of having plotted to attack far-right bars incensed by 'injustice'. French prosecutors are alarmed at an increasing number of young teenage boys seemingly plotting 'terror' attacks, and say they all share an addiction to violent videos online. As communities worldwide worry about boys being exposed to toxic and misogynistic influences on social media, French magistrates say they are looking into what draws young teens into 'terrorism'. 'Just a few years ago, there were just a handful of minors charged with terror offences,' France's National Anti-Terror Prosecutor's Office (PNAT) said. 'But we had 15 in 2013, 18 in 2024 and we already had 11 by July 1' this year. They are aged 13 to 18 and hail from all over France, the PNAT said. Lawyers and magistrates told AFP these teens are usually boys with no delinquent past, many of whom are introverts or have had family trouble. The PNAT opened a special branch in May to better examine the profiles of minors drawn into 'terrorism', but it said it has already noticed they are all 'great users of social media'. 'Most are fans of ultra-violent, war or pornographic content,' it said. In France, 'terrorism' is largely synonymous with extremist Islamist ideas such as those of the Islamic State jihadist group. Only in recent months has the PNAT taken on cases different in nature—one an adult suspected of a racist far-right killing, and the other an 18-year-old charged with developing a misogynist plot to kill women. A 14-year-old schoolboy who stabbed to death a teaching assistant in June was a fan of 'violent video games', although his case was not deemed 'terrorist' in nature. 'Proving themselves as men' In the case of France's youngest 'terror' suspects, a judicial source told AFP, social media provides them with a flow of violent videos that are 'not necessarily linked to terrorism', such as from Latin American cartels. 'They think they're proving themselves as men by watching them,' the source said. Sociologist Farhad Khosrokhavar said the teens were 'neither children nor adults'. This 'leads them to violence in order to be recognised as adults—even if it's a negative adult,' he said. Laurene Renaut, a researcher looking into jihadist circles online, said social media algorithms could suck adolescents in fast. 'In less that three hours on TikTok, you can find yourself in an algorithm bubble dedicated to the Islamic State' group, she said. You can be bathing in 'war chants, decapitations, AI reconstructions of glorious (according to IS) past actions or even simulations of actions to come,' she said. The algorithms feed users 'melancholic' content to boost their 'feeling of loneliness, with ravaged landscapes, supposed to reflect the soul,' she said. 'Injustice' One such teenager said he was motivated by a sense of 'injustice' after seeing a video online of an attack on a mosque in New Zealand. White supremacist Brenton Tarrant went on a rampage, killing 51 worshippers at mosques around Christchurch in March 2019 in the country's deadliest modern-day mass shooting. The French suspect was convicted last year for planning 'terror' attacks on far-right bars. He told investigators it started when he was 13 and playing Minecraft, a video game, on gamer social media platform Discord. 'Someone sent Tarrant's video,' he said. 'I thought it was unjust to see the men, women and children be massacred.' 'I then watched the videos of imams telling people to stay calm and those of terrorists from the far right, and I thought it was unjust,' he added. 'Then I saw those of jihadists urging help,' he said. 'I thought that by defending this cause, my life would make sense.' A French appeals court in July 2024 sentenced him to four years in jail, including two suspended, after he contacted an undercover agent to find out about weapons. The court justified the sentence with the 'gravity' of his planned actions, but noted he lacked signs of 'deeply rooted ideological radicalisation'. Rather, it said, the defendant was the child of fighting parents from a very violent neighbourhood, who had been 'significantly deprived of affection' and had sought to 'fit in' with internet users. His lawyer Jean-Baptiste Riolacci told AFP he was an 'essentially lonely, sad and good kid, whose only occupation beyond his computer was gliding around on his scooter'. 'Guesswork' The judicial source, who spoke anonymously due to the sensitivity of the issue, said the French system favoured early intervention through charging youth for associating with 'terrorist' criminals, and then adapting their punishment according to the severity of the accusations. But attorney Pierre-Henri Baert, who defended another teenager, said the system did not work. His client was handed three years behind bars in May for sharing an IS propaganda post calling for attacks against Jewish people as a 16-year-old. 'It's a very harsh sentence considering his very young age, the fact he had no (criminal) record, and was really in the end just accused of statements online,' he said. Another lawyer, who worked on similar cases but asked to remain anonymous due to the sensitivity of the issue, agreed. 'When the judiciary goes after people for terrorist criminal association, it's basically doing guesswork,' she said, adding that the 'terrorist' label could be very stigmatising. 'There's no differentiation between a kid who sent aggressive messages and a suspect who actually bought weapons,' she added. 'Fantasising about jihadism' Two judicial sources said teens prosecuted for alleged 'terrorism' are usually only spotted through their behaviour on social media. They are then charged over other actions, such as moving to an encrypted messaging app, sharing recipes to make explosives or looking for funding, the sources said. A Paris court will in September try three teenagers who, aged 14 and 15, allegedly planned to blow up a truck outside the Israeli embassy in Belgium. They had been spotted at high school for their 'radical remarks', but were then found in a park with 'bottles of hydrochloric acid' containing 'aluminium foil', a homemade type of explosive, the PNAT said. Their telephones showed they had watched videos of massacres. Jennifer Cambla, a lawyer who represents one of the defendants, said accusations against her client were disproportionate. 'My client may have had the behaviour of a radicalised person by consulting jihadist websites, which is forbidden. But he is far from having plotted an attack,' she said. But another lawyer, speaking anonymously, said arresting teenagers 'fantasizing about jihadism' could be an opportunity to turn their lives around—even if it involved 'a monstruous shock'. 'The arrests are tough,' with specialised forces in ski masks pulling sacks over the suspect's head, they said. But 'as minors, they are followed closely, they see therapists. They are not allowed on social media, and they do sport again,' the lawyer said. One of the judicial sources warned it was not clear that this worked. It 'makes it look like they are being rapidly deradicalised, but we do not know if these youth could again be drawn in by extremist ideas,' they said. — AFP
