ISIS lure Syrian refugees to join terror group in massive recruitment drive across Europe
Counter-terror cops Europol reveal ISIS have been planning fresh atrocities across Europe
THE scale of the threat posed by ISIS cells trying to exploit the migrant crisis was revealed by Europe’s crime-fighting agency yesterday.
A Europol report said Germany had recorded 300 attempts by jihadis to recruit refugees entering the EU by April this year alone.
It warned: “A real and imminent danger is the possibility of elements of the (Sunni Muslim) Syrian refugee diaspora becoming vulnerable to radicalisation once in Europe and being specifically targeted by Islamic extremist recruiters.
“It is believed that a number of jihadists are travelling through Europe for that purpose.
“According to unconfirmed information, German authorities were aware of around 300 recorded attempts made by jihadists to recruit refugees who were trying to enter Europe by April 2016.”
Europol’s report also said “several dozen” ISIS fighters were in Europe already plotting new attacks - and could soon turn to “car bombs, extortion and kidnapping”.
The tactics are already common in Syria and Iraq and Europol chiefs fear copycat methods could soon be used closer to home.
The cell behind the Paris and Brussels attacks had planned to set off a car bomb in France but were disrupted before their plot could unfold.
Meanwhile, Europol said IS had developed the ability to make mustard gas.
It also said the terror group had successfully made biological weapons in Morocco - as revealed by The Sun in March.
And it warned IS had a “full stock of stolen blank Syrian passports” ready to be forged to get their fighters into the EU.
RELATED STORIES
UK authorities and other countries have been working tirelessly to counter the ISIS threat since the Brussels attacks in March.
Europol Director Rob Wainwright said: “The last two years have seen a number of jihadist attacks, several of which have caused mass casualties.
“The scale of this threat has been widely acknowledged in Europe, triggering an intensified cooperation between police and security services across the continent leading to an increase of arrests and plots foiled before terror attacks could be carried out.
“This shows that the increased cooperation and exchange of data between all relevant services across Europe is a successful means to mitigate the threat posed by ISIS.
“Nevertheless today’s report shows that the threat is still high and includes diverse components which can be only tackled by even better collaboration.”
A total of 130 people were killed in Paris last November after jihadis fighters went on a killing rampage around the French capital targeting cafes, a concert hall and a football stadium.