TerrorismEuropean security services worry about a wave of female terrorists
The security services in France have grown increasingly worried about a new wave of female terrorist recruits. The concern has grown over the last few weeks, as arrests were made of French women, some of them teen-agers, who had pledged allegiance to ISIS. Earlier this month French police arrested two young women, 17 and 19, who were being groomed to carry out an attack on “specific targets” in France in retaliation for the recent death of the ISIS leader Abu Muhammad al-Adnani. Since the beginning of September, the French security services have arrested six women for plotting terrorists attacks.
The security services in France have grown increasingly worried about a new wave of female terrorist recruits. The concern has grown over the last few weeks, as arrests were made of French women, some of them teen-agers, who had pledged allegiance to ISIS.
The Express reports that earlier this month French police arrested two young women, 17 and 19, who were being groomed to carry out an attack on “specific targets” in France in retaliation for the recent death of the ISIS leader Abu Muhammad al-Adnani.
The two women used the encrypted Telegram messaging system to communicate with Rachid Kassim, a French Muslim who is suspected in being the mastermind behind several attacks or attempted attacks in France.
Security experts have warned that authorities often turn a blind eye to women jihadists because they are not deemed to be a high risk.
Dr. Karla Cunningham, who published a study of women terrorists a few years ago in Studies in Conflict and Terrorism, said female terrorism was “rarely acknowledged” because officials “fail to anticipate the emergency and range of female militant actors.”
She added: “While women who head to ISIS controlled territories may be limited to support roles, women who are attracted to groups like ISIS are often interested in, and capable of, full operational support.
“We should expect groups like ISIS to either directly or indirectly incite, inspire or direct women to participate in terrorist attacks against targets throughout the world.”
The two French teenagers arrested three weeks ago admitted to considering an attack on Notre Dame Cathedral, before abandoning the idea, according to the French police.
The General Directorate for Internal Security, the French domestic intelligence agency, said that at least four other teenagers, all suspected of having plotted terrorist acts on behalf of ISIS, were arrested in about ten days in early September.
All were in contact via Telegram with Kassim, who is currently in Syria.
Other researchers have found that female terrorists do a better job than men at maintaining networks and communicating with fellow operatives (see John Bohannon, “Women critical for online terrorist networks,” Science, 10 June 2016).
In the United Kingdom, figures released by the government show that arrests of female terrorists, or women suspected of terrorist connection, are on the rise.
Arrests of women now accounts for 14 percent of all terrorism-related arrests in the United Kingdom.
— Read more in Karla J. Cunningham, “Countering Female Terrorism,” Studies in Conflict & Terrorism 30, no. 2 (24 November 2007) (doi: org/10.1080/10576100601101067)
