Around fifteen Belgians about to depart for Syria were deprived of their I.D. cards and passports by the Interior Minister, Jan Jambon (New Flemish Alliance) this year.
This was reported on Monday in La Dernière Heure, De Morgen and Het Laatste Nieuws.
The fifteen withdrawals targeted youngsters aged between 17 and 28, whose departure was imminent.
The minister’s spokesman, who would not reveal their identity, said “I can assure you that their car engine was already warm.”
He went on, “They were on the point of leaving for the conflict zone. In some cases, it was as close as that.”
They are originally from Borgerhout (near Antwerp), Opoeteren (Limburg), Schaerbeek, Jette and Laeken, Verviers, Herstal and Glain (Liège), Jumet (Hainaut) and Tamines (Namur).
