Britain ‘on target list’ for jihadi terrorists in Europe
BRITAIN is high on the list of targets for attack by battlehardened Islamic State fighters returning to Europe.
The terror group “has shown an interest in the use of chemical and biological weapons”, the EU’s law enforcement body Europol warned yesterday.
It said “several dozen” terrorists directed by IS may already be in Europe.
And they could have the capability to mount attacks similar to the 2015 Paris Bataclan massacre in part carried out by Belgian returning IS fighter Abdelhamid Abaaoud, 28, who was later killed by French police.
IS has assembled teams in Syria and sent them to the EU with specific targets, Europol warned.
Its report said any state such as the UK which is involved in the US-led coalition currently bombing IS in Syria and Iraq will be a Paris attacker Abdelhamid Abaaoud in Syria with Islamic State target. Europol said: “France remains high on the target list for IS aggression in the EU, but so too are Belgium, Germany, The Netherlands and the UK.
“Further attacks in the EU, both by lone actors and groups, are likely to be attempted.”
Tactics
It said: “Estimates from some intelligence services indicate several dozen people directed by IS may be currently present in Europe with a capability to commit terrorist attacks, and that there are indications that IS has been preparing terrorist attacks in Europe since 2013.”
Europol also said IS may bring the tactics it uses in Syria to the streets of Europe such as “car bombs, extortion and kidnappings”. And it predicted that the defeat of IS in the Middle East will increase the rate of return of dangerous foreign fighters.
The report also warned that Libya could emerge as a “springboard” for IS against Europe.
About 850 Britons have joined IS in the Middle East and around half of them are believed to be already back in the UK.
Europol’s Director Rob Wainwright: “The last two years have seen a number of jihadist attacks, several of which have caused mass casualties.
“Today’s report shows that the threat is still high.”
The official threat level for international terrorism in the UK is currently severe – meaning an attack is “highly likely”.
Britain’s security services and counter-terrorism units have foiled at least ten attacks by terrorist jihadis in the past two years.