Mother sues over son's Syria flight

A MOTHER whose 16-year-old son ran away from France to fight in Syria is seeking €110,000 in damages from the French state, claiming police failed to take action.

The teenager had recently converted to Islam and, his mother says, showed no sign of being radicalised when he was reported missing on December 27, 2013.

He made it through passport control at Nice airport and managed to board a flight to Turkey without an accompanying adult or any luggage.

The mother-of-five's lawyer, Samia Maktouf, said: "This minor managed to leave France for Turkey, the gateway to Syria, without the police worrying at all. The police have committed a serious error.

"The damages payment isn't our main goal. We simply want there to be recognition that an error has been committed. These departures for jihad must stop."

The interior ministry says border police carried out the necessary ID check - and the state cannot be held responsible as the passenger was not known as a risk and did not appear on any no-fly list.

The case will be heard in the Paris tribunal administratif on Tuesday.