Danish militant recruits reaped $58,000 in welfare payments while waging jihad in Syria.
The Danish Security and Intelligence Service reported 32 individuals received two different types of unemployment benefits, according to The Local, an English-language Danish news outlet. A single case was reported to the police.
One type of welfare scheme, known as dagpenge, provides up to $134 per day for two years. The other scheme, known as kontanthjælp, is a “significantly more modest benefit,’ reports The Local. It provides an estimated 12,000 Danish kroner or nearly $1,800 per month.
Reports first revealed 28 Danes received benefits while fighting alongside the Islamic State last November. Out of those identified, “15 had been ordered to pay the money back, eight people were still being investigated, and five cases had been dropped due to insufficient evidence.”
More than 100 Danes are believed to have joined jihadi groups in Syria. They make up the second largest number of foreign fighters in Syria, relative to Denmark’s population.
Almost all Australians who left wage jihad in Syria continued to draw welfare benefits. A Daily Telegraph report indicated 55 out of 57 Australian recruits received payments while abroad. (RELATED: Almost All Aussie Jihadis Were On Welfare)
The Danish Embassy did not respond to The Daily Caller News Foundation’s request for comment.
Content created by The Daily Caller News Foundation is available without charge to any eligible news publisher that can provide a large audience. For licensing opportunities of our original content, please contact licensing@dailycallernewsfoundation.org.
All content created by the Daily Caller News Foundation, an independent and nonpartisan newswire service, is available without charge to any legitimate news publisher that can provide a large audience. All republished articles must include our logo, our reporter’s byline and their DCNF affiliation. For any questions about our guidelines or partnering with us, please contact licensing@dailycallernewsfoundation.org.