The French government has come under fire after interior minister Christophe Castaner reportedly said that jihadi fighters of French origin could be repatriated from Syria as US forces withdraw from that country, reports CNN.
"There are currently people in prison who are being held because the Americans are there and they are going to be released," Castaner said in an interview Tuesday with CNN affiliate BFM TV.
"They will want to come back to France. What I want is for everyone who returns to France to be immediately handed over to justice."
Castaner said, "They are French before being jihadists," admitting that some have already returned to France and been arrested.
BFM TV reported the French fighters were expected to return in the coming weeks, numbering close to 130.
The French government has disputed that figure, saying it is "by no means confirmed."