German women drawn to Islamic State’s ‘increased appeal,’ intelligence head says

The head of Germany’s domestic intelligence agency fears that the Islamic State group is having recruitment success — with women.

“We’ve seen a rise in the number of women who fall for the increased appeal of the recruiting activities both on the Internet and through direct personal contacts. The threat is becoming increasingly complex,” said BND head Hans-Georg Maassen, Reuters reported Wednesday.

Mr. Maassen estimates that there are 700 Germans fighting on behalf of the Islamic State group in the Middle East. Roughly 100 of those recruits are women who tend to be under age 25.

German authorities believe that one-third of those who left to join the Sunni radical terror group have returned. Mr. Maassen said that 50 of them likely have combat experience, Reuters reported.