About ten Finns missing from al-Hol camp believed to be in Syria

About ten Finns who left the now-closed al-Hol camp in northeast Syria are believed to be in the country, the Finnish foreign ministry said.

Consul General Jussi Tanner told Yle that the ministry has “some idea” of the region where the Finns are currently staying.

“Our understanding is that they are all in Syria,” Tanner said.

The al-Hol camp, which once housed around 70,000 people—mostly wives and children of ISIS fighters—was shut down in February. At the time of closure, an estimated 25,000 remained. The Finns who left were mostly minors.

Finland has repatriated 37 people from northeast Syria: 26 children, nine mothers, and one man who grew up in the region. The last repatriation, a minor boy, took place in April.

The Finnish Security Intelligence Service (Supo) said its assessment of the security risks posed by returnees remains unchanged. Some returnees may still strengthen the radical Islamist terrorist threat in Europe, Supo noted, adding that ISIS continues to inspire and motivate supporters to carry out attacks. Risks are evaluated on a case-by-case basis.