Sociological context of the pathway leading to becoming foreign fighter: Foreign terrorist fighters in Turkey in post Arab Spring era

The aim of this study is to construct a profile for people who are taken under administrative detention for being foreign terrorist fighters for reasons of leaving their country and travelling to the conflict zone in order to join non-state armed actors which have emerged in post Arab Spring era, being apprehended while travelling to the conflict zone or being involved in the activities affiliated to the conflict zones and to analyse their travel motivations. Within the scope of this study, semi-structured interviews were conducted with 43 people in the removal centres who were taken under administrative detention for being foreign terrorist fighters based on the qualitative research technique. Bearing in mind that the interviewees have similar experiences, phenomenological approach is preferred and the common experience of interviewees is described. Within the scope of this study, the personal characteristics and travel motivations of foreign terrorist fighters in Turkey are analysed by discussing how the foreign militancy has transformed under the impact of changing conditions, the methods of the non-state armed actors which occurred in the post Arab Spring era to attract foreign terrorist fighters and the sociological context of this process.