adminEU citizens were heading “in the hundreds” to Syria which was drawing foreign fighters “in the thousands if we aggregate with those leaving from the Balkans and North Africa,” he said.
Speaking to the European Parliament’s home affairs committee, the European Union’s intelligence expert said “the core of our threat remains related to Al-Qaeda” despite the group’s “very much degraded” core in recent years.
Along with the proliferation of Al-Qaeda affiliates touting regional agendas — such as Al-Qaeda in Syria or Al-Qaeda in the Maghreb, or AQIM — a “worrying development is the attraction of Syria” to youngsters from the 27-nation bloc, he said.
“If they are not killed there, they will pose a serious threat to our security,” de Kerchove said.
“How can we stem the flow and face the return?” he asked, saying that it was “a difficult phenomenon” to face up to as some of the volunteers were romantics while others were “radicalised” militants sent to Syria through networks.
“We need to see what we can do to prevent these individuals departing and (then to) cope with their return,” he said.
“We are in a brainstorming stage,” he said.
Some countries might want to look at adopting legislation to outlaw fighting on foreign fronts.
Another key would be to organise to gather together intelligence and travel data, Kerchove said.
He regretted that the European Parliament just this week rejected a Brussels plan to allow European air passenger data to be used to fight organised crime and terrorism.
“I’m convinced a new PNR (Passenger Name Record data) would provide information to prevent this flow of fighters,” he said. — AFP.
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