Foued Mohamed Aggad went to Syria with his brother and a group of friends at the end of 2013, according to a source close to the investigation. Most of the others were arrested in spring last year upon their return to France but Aggad stayed on in Syria, the source said. French media say that Mohamed-Aggad was recruited by Mourad Fares, a man known have actively recruited young Frenchmen on behalf of jihadist groups in Syria.