Sweden is planning to give ISIS defectors housing grants and free driving licences to encourage them to reintegrate into society, it has emerged.

Lund County council in southern Sweden is looking at offering incentives to jihadi defectors - including helping them to secure work.

The plan has reportedly received backing from an anti-violent extremism body.

Sweden is planning to give ISIS defectors housing grants and free driving licences to encourage them to reintegrate into society, it has emerged

According to the Daily Express, about 140 Swedish citizens have come back to the country having fought for terror groups in Iraq and Syria.

Defectors would be encouraged to re-enter society with incentives like housing grants and driving licences under the plans.

Those leading the proposals believe they should be dealt with the same way as criminals who are trying to reintegrate.

Anna Sjostrand, Lund County's municipal coordinator against violent extremism, reportedly said: ' When the subject first came up, we thought ‘Oh God, how should we handle this?

A similar approach has also been discussed in other councils in Sweden. The country's capital Stockholm is shown in this file picture

'But we pretty quickly realised that we should deal with [people defecting from ISIS] in the same way [we deal with people defecting from criminal gangs].'

In a report by the national coordinator against violent extremism, Christoffer Carlsson said: 'It’s a straight social, economic and material question. You need to be able to reintegrate into the job market, you may need to have a driving licence, debt settlement and a roof over your head.'