LONDON -- London Mayor Boris Johnson has been sharing his own take on what motivates young British jihadists.
In an interview with The Sun, published Friday, Johnson says jihadists who are recruited by groups such as Islamic State are "literally wankers."
"If you look at all the psychological profiling about bombers, they typically will look at porn. They are literally wankers. Severe onanists," he said.
"They are tortured. They will be very badly adjusted in their relations with women, and that is a symptom of their feeling of being failures and that the world is against them.
"They are not making it with girls and so they turn to other forms of spiritual comfort - which of course is no comfort."
The mayor, who last year declared his intention to run for parliament again, said young jihadists are men in need of self-esteem who don't have a mission in life. Comparing them to people who get dragged into drug gangs or other criminal activity, Johnson said they need to be demystified.
"They are losers and this thing makes them feel strong - like winners."
The mayor's comments have been described as crass and not in keeping with his position.
"I think in the first instance I find his language offensive and the comments to be irresponsible," Mussurut Zia, the General Secretary of the Muslim Women's Network, told Mashable.
"The same sentiment could be expressed in different language."
However, Zia said she does understand some of what Johnson has said, adding that everyone has a "responsibility to address the reasons why young men and women are feeling vulnerable." She said that with the right support the Muslim community is willing to come out and speak about these concerns.
In November, Britain announced new measures to stop would-be jihadists leaving the country to join with groups such as Islamic State. Unless they give themselves up at the border upon return, British citizens that are suspected of fighting with ISIL will be the subject of exclusion orders.