France confiscates passports of six French citizens for planning to join Syria fight

Six French citizens thought to be planning an imminent trip to Syria, had their passports confiscated, French interior minister Bernard Cazeneuve said on Monday.

"Today these six administrative bans on leaving the country have been signed, another 40 are in preparation," Cazeneuve said.

"We wanted this measure because if French people leave to commit actions in Iraq and Syria, upon their return, they represent an even greater danger for the national territory and risk committing wide-scale terrorist acts," the minister added.

Cazeneuve said the presumed jihadists were young people, some of whom had converted to Islam. All of them were "tempted to engage in terrorist operations" in Syria, he added.

Adopted in November 2014 by France's National Assembly, this confiscation marks the first time the law has been enforced since its enactment. The decision to exercise the act was aimed at "limiting terrorist risks," according to Cazeneuve.

Fearing hundreds of nationals could return home to carry out attacks after being trained in Syria, the government reinforced measures to crack down on radicalized men and stem the flow of youth being recruited to fight in the Arab country.

Official data showed 1,400 French nationals and residents either joined the Syrian civil war or plan to travel to the conflict-ridden country. Endite