Some 20 percent of French Islamic State fighters have been collecting social benefits from France to help finance the terror group, newspaper Le Figaro reported Thursday.
Jihadis have claimed unemployment benefits and family allowance for years while living in Syria. Over the past five years, some 500,000 euros ($583,200) have gone directly from the French taxpayers to the terror group, according to the report.
Investigators have uncovered a scam that involved 420 fraudulent withdrawals by jihadis in 2016 alone. At least 210 people received the money after family members withdrew cash at employment centers across the country.
“Armed with their cards and photos, the parents were able to access the funding from the Unemployment Agency or the Family Allowances and send it to combat zones, mostly via Turkey,” an investigator told Le Figaro