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Switzerland eyes travel ban for jihad suspects

The Local
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Switzerland eyes travel ban for jihad suspects
Security forces at the UN headquarters in Geneva during police searches in the city for suspects linked to the November 2015 terror attacks in Paris. Photo: AFP

The Swiss government has asked the justice department to draw up a proposal on how to stop jihadists travelling overseas to fight.

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There are currently no such provisions to stop people in Switzerland leaving the country to fight with terrorist groups like Isis.

In future, however, people suspected of being sympathizers with terror groups could have to regularly report to police. If that proves unsuccessful or impossible, they could be stripped off their travel documents, as is the case in France.

In all cases, the responsibility of Switzerland to prevent terror attacks on home and foreign soil would be weighed up against the interests of the individual.

The government also wants to allow the Federal Office of Police to be given powers to draw up secret dossiers on suspected terrorists so that their travel patterns can be monitored without those people knowing.

The Swiss Federal Intelligence Service said recently the number of would-be jihadists in the country had risen to 76 since 2001. The FIS is currently monitoring some 400 potential jihadists and a dozen people have been charged with terror-related offences.

More than 60 possible jihadists are currently facing prosecution, Swiss attorney general, Michael Lauber said in March.

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