French Mum Reunited With Daughter Taken By Alleged Jihadi Husband

A young French mother whose daughter had been smuggled by her father
out of the country and possibly to Syria was reunited with the
two-year-old in Turkey, a source close to the French interior minister
said Tuesday.

Meriam Rhaiem, 25, made headlines in March when she made an emotional
appeal to French authorities to recognise her baby girl as "the
youngest French hostage".

Rhaiem, who lives in eastern France, had said she was certain her
French husband, from whom she is divorcing, and who is wanted under an
international arrest warrant, was in Syria where he was seeking to
join jihadists.

The father was arrested last weekend with their daughter Assia in
Turkey, where he is still being held, the ministry source said, adding
Rhaiem and her girl were due to fly back to France on Tuesday night on
board a plane chartered by the interior ministry.

Assia's father had failed to bring his daughter home after spending
the day with her in October last year, and had left France by road
bound for Turkey, from where he called his wife regularly and asked
her to come join them.

He had also said he planned to cross into Syria with their daughter to
join the Al-Nusra Front, which is Al-Qaeda's official Syrian
affiliate.

According to Rhaiem's lawyer Gabriel Versini-Bullara, her husband had
become radicalised after travelling to Mecca, asking her to wear the
veil, criticising her for working or banning her from playing music to
Assia.

Like a number of European countries, France has expressed concern over
radicalised people leaving the country to fight in Iraq and Syria,
with fears that they could pose a risk to domestic security on their
return.

According to official estimates, around 800 French nationals or
residents -- including several dozen women -- have travelled to Syria,
returned from the conflict-ridden country or plan to go there.

France unveiled a bill in July aimed at stopping aspiring jihadists
from travelling to Syria. It includes a ban on foreign travel of up to
six months for individuals suspected of radicalisation, and gives
authorities powers to temporarily confiscate and invalidate their
passports.