‘No powers’ to prevent Irish going to fight in Iraq, Syria

Justice Minister Frances Fitzgerald has said she did not have the power to remove the citizenship or passports of Irish people engaged in fighting in the Middle East or Africa, or to prevent them from travelling.

She outlined details of how 25 to 30 Irish citizens had travelled to conflict zones and how some had died while others had returned.

Speaking in the Dáil in the wake of last week’s terrorist attacks in Paris, Ms Fitzgerald said it was a complex process attempting to withdraw citizenship.