French Jihadist Quit ISIS Because He Couldn’t Handle Not Smoking

A French jihadist left the Islamic State just two weeks after arriving because he could not handle the terror group’s strict no-smoking policy.

Flavien Moreau, a Muslim convert with 13 previous convictions, including assault and armed robbery, moved to Syria to join the radical group in 2012, but returned to France after just a couple of weeks, and was arrested.

Appearing in court, Moreau said: “I really struggled with not smoking. It was forbidden by the katiba [group of Islamist militants]. I had brought Nicorette gum with me, but it wasn’t enough. I left my gun with my emir and I left.”

France 24 reports that Moreau is of South Korean descent and was adopted by a French family at the age of two. He was sentenced to seven years imprisonment today for his brief involvement with Islamic State.

France’s interior minister, Bernard Cazeneuve, claimed in September that around 900 French people, including an estimated 60 women, are either currently fighting for IS and other jihadists in Syria and Iraq, or are planning to travel there.

The country has already passed emergency laws in a bid to prevent people travelling to join jihad, including a ban on foreign travel for up to six months for suspected radicals.

Last week, officials also identified two French nationals in the ISIS video that depicted the beheading of a group of captured Syrian soldiers.