Danish citizen who joined ISIS stripped of citizenship

For the first time in Danish history, a citizen born in Denmark has had his citizenship revoked after being convicted of being a member of the Islamic State (ISIS) terror group, Breitbart reports.

Danish-born Muslim Enes Ciftci, 25, who is also a citizen of Turkey, was found guilty of supporting ISIS and sentenced to six years in prison and expulsion. The court found that Ciftci had expressed support for terrorist attacks committed by the group and had actively tried to raise funding for them.

Denmark, like many other countries, is dealing with the radicalization of locals who travel to Syria and Iraq to join ISIS and then return to their home countries seeking to carry out attacks.

The country was attacked in 2015 by Omar El-Hussein, who opened fire on the Great Synagogue in Copenhagen, killing Israeli security guard Dan Uzan.

El-Hussein was also responsible for a shooting attack on a Copenhagen café. His actions are believed to have inspired a 17-year-old Danish girl who was charged with planning to bomb two schools in the country, including a Jewish school.

Ciftci's case is the first time a Danish citizen born in the country has had their citizenship revoked. However, it is not the first time a foreign-born Islamic radical has been stripped of citizenship, noted Breitbart.

Last year, Muslim bookshop owner Said Mansour was the first criminal to be stripped of his Danish citizenship after being sentenced to four years in prison for supporting terrorist groups. Mansour, 56, came to Denmark from Morrocco as an adult in 1988.

In the case of Ciftci, the court justified taking away his citizenship saying that he had twice attempted to join ISIS in 2013 and 2015.

He is also said to have raised 20,000 Danish krone for the terror group and praised the actions of El-Hussein.

Earlier this year, Denmark announced it would stop paying benefits to ISIS terrorists, including anyone considered to be a national security risk or who may have traveled to join armed group abroad.

The announcement came a month after at least 34 ISIS members were discovered in to be receiving unemployment payments for their time fighting for the group in Syria and Iraq.