ISIS fighters have taken luxury cars and home comforts, including chocolate spread Nutella, to Syria often at the expense of European taxpayers.
The lifestyles of the foreign fighters have come to light in social media posts by the group in its bid to woo more recruits.
Radicalisation experts say many hired BMWs to drive across Europe to join the terror group taking with them luxuries such as Nutella.
Terrorism expert Pieter van Ostaeyen said recruits travelling from France and Belgium would hire high-performance cars and arrive in style to war zones.
In one case, evidence was found of one recruit being charged import tax in Syria for his luxury car.
Mr van Ostaeyen said these individuals would target impressionable youngsters back in their home nations, for recruitment.
“We have seen a photo of a bunch of women standing in front of a white BMW, they went from France and basically drove all the way to Syria,” he said.
“One of the attackers in the Paris attack drove his car all the way from France to Syria and got fined for importing the car, and we know of a Belgium foreign fighter who rented a BMW and drove all the way through Europe, the Balkans to Turkey to reach Syria.
“As soon as these guys arrived in Syria they began recruiting people via social media. They were recruiting young girls and boys using jars of Nutella and kittens.”
Describing the recruitment tactics as “really successful”, Mr van Ostaeyen added: “We do not have any figures confirming how many people were recruited via social media but it must have been a very big deal and many people ended up in Syria as a result.”
A built-up cache of battlefield evidence is increasingly helping authorities to bring them such materialistic terrorists to justice.
Mobile phones containing wedding invites and emails left by the terrorists are being used for prosecutions in European courts.
Mr van Ostaeyen said the foreign fighters’ lifestyles were often financed by social security benefit payments from their home nations, and revealed many Belgian fighters received thousands of pounds of taxpayers’ money, while based in Syria.
“As soon as they started leaving for Syria their journeys were paid for by friends and family members and they got donations from bitcoin,” he said.
“Some of the Belgium fighters kept on receiving allowances even though they were not living in Belgium and even though they had registered as terrorist fighters they kept on receiving money from the government.”
In a webinar, hosted by the Counter Extremism Project, experts explained that key recruiters also helped facilitate their journeys, weapons and training.
It highlighted the role of hate preachers like Britain’s Anjem Choudary in recruiting youngsters.
The London-based Islamist has been linked to 15 terrorist plots dating back almost 20 years and has been connected to hundreds of Britons who fled to Syria to fight.
He is believed to have influenced the Sharia4Belgium group, which played a significant role in the growth of extremism in Belgium, and took inspiration from Islam4UK - a group once led by Choudary.
Mr van Ostaeyen highlighted the role of Sharia4Belgium’s now-deceased former leader Houssien Elouassaki in being “very successful” in recruiting people via social media from the battlefield.
He said there are still 155 Belgian ISIS fighters unaccounted for.
“We do not know where they are, if they got killed or if they merged with local cells,” he added. “Of course there is a big risk of them returning uncontrolled.”
In July, the UN Security Council’s Counter-Terrorism Committee Executive Directorate warned European governments of the “urgent” need to adopt a uniform plan for the repatriation of ISIS fighters, as thousands are set to return home.
Pearls on a Branch: Oral Tales
Najlaa Khoury, Archipelago Books
The burning issue
The internal combustion engine is facing a watershed moment – major manufacturer Volvo is to stop producing petroleum-powered vehicles by 2021 and countries in Europe, including the UK, have vowed to ban their sale before 2040. The National takes a look at the story of one of the most successful technologies of the last 100 years and how it has impacted life in the UAE.
Read part four: an affection for classic cars lives on
Read part three: the age of the electric vehicle begins
Read part one: how cars came to the UAE
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
How much do leading UAE’s UK curriculum schools charge for Year 6?
- Nord Anglia International School (Dubai) – Dh85,032
- Kings School Al Barsha (Dubai) – Dh71,905
- Brighton College Abu Dhabi - Dh68,560
- Jumeirah English Speaking School (Dubai) – Dh59,728
- Gems Wellington International School – Dubai Branch – Dh58,488
- The British School Al Khubairat (Abu Dhabi) - Dh54,170
- Dubai English Speaking School – Dh51,269
*Annual tuition fees covering the 2024/2025 academic year
Our family matters legal consultant
Name: Hassan Mohsen Elhais
Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.
Profile Idealz
Company: Idealz
Founded: January 2018
Based: Dubai
Sector: E-commerce
Size: (employees): 22
Investors: Co-founders and Venture Partners (9 per cent)
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- Submit their request
What are the regulations?
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Tiger:independent, successful, volatile
Rat:witty, creative, charming
Ox:diligent, perseverent, conservative
Rabbit:gracious, considerate, sensitive
Dragon:prosperous, brave, rash
Snake:calm, thoughtful, stubborn
Horse:faithful, energetic, carefree
Sheep:easy-going, peacemaker, curious
Monkey:family-orientated, clever, playful
Rooster:honest, confident, pompous
Dog:loyal, kind, perfectionist
Boar:loving, tolerant, indulgent
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