Paris attack suggests ISIS has new reach with European radicals
So far, investigators say at least three of the seven attackers who died in Paris were French nationals -- one who lived in the city of Chartres, southwest of Paris. Prosecutors suspect that man – 29-year-old Omar Ismail Mostefai – may have travelled to Syria before returning to Europe last year.
France has been increasingly gripped by the challenge posed by so-called foreign fighters. Officials say there are an estimated 520 French nationals fighting in Syria, and another 250 who have returned to France.
According Michel Wieviorka, there are various paths that lead to radicalization of young people who can then be used by ISIS to advance their aims.
Michel Wieviorka is a French sociologist who studies violence and terrorism, and Director of the Center of Sociological Analysis and Intervention, in Paris.
Some observers fear the Paris attacks prove ISIS is gaining influence outside its territory in the Middle East and Africa because such large scale violence was carried out in part, by so many French citizens.
Loretta Napoleoni is the author of "The Islamist Phoenix: The Islamic State & the Redrawing of the Middle East". We reached her in London, England.
This segment was produced by The Current's Idella Sturino and Marc Apollonio.
Mourners gather in solidarity after Paris attacks