Britain was today warned of a rising threat from Islamic State fighters sent “on mission” from Syria.
The alert came as the EU’s top law enforcement officer revealed that increasing numbers of jihadis are using fake documents to sneak into Europe.
He also highlighted the weapons trade on the “Dark Net”, saying it was a “major part of the security challenge” that is now facing Europe. Mr Wainwright said some IS extremists were using false Syrian passports in a bid to arrive undetected — with a small but increasing number posing as refugees.
Others were exploiting the “industrial scale” production of false documents by criminals to obtain EU passports and move freely over the continent.
Mr Wainwright said Europe also faced the return of thousands more extremists as IS crumbled in Syria in a “long, long struggle” that will pose an “onerous security challenge” for years.