A Saudi man and his son who had gone to Syria to join the Islamic State of Syria and Iraq (ISIS) have voluntarily returned and surrendered to the authorities, local media reported.

Manie Al-Manie had sent his son abroad to the conflict zone, but his son returned to the Kingdom and approached the authorities. His father soon followed suit after discovering the truth about ISIS, commonly known as “Daesh.”

Issa Al-Ghaith, a member of the Shoura Council, formally announced the return of Al-Manie to the country on Twitter, saying Al-Manie has denounced the terrorist group and regrets ever joining them.

Around 100 of the more than 1,000 Saudis who have joined groups such as the Al-Nusra Front or Daesh in Syria never log out of their Twitter accounts.

Local media said that these men openly state their loyalty to these groups online, reinforcing their allegiance through sharing photos and video clips.

More than two-thirds of these users favor Daesh over the Al-Nusra Front.

Saudi authorities have yet to issue accurate figures on the numbers of fighters who joined these group, but estimates vary between 900 and 1,100 since foreigners began filing into Syria to join the war.

Almost half of them were killed, according to Daesh and Al-Nusra Front Facebook, YouTube and Twitter accounts.

Several parents have received calls confirming their children’s death across 20 Saudi cities over the space of three years.

Twitter users are keen on showing themselves on the battlefield bearing weaponry or reciting popular poetry, such as that of the Qassim poet Fahd Al-Harbi.