Europol: Dozens of ISIS May Be in Europe

Warns ISIS Fighters May Use Chemical Weapons, Suicide Bombings

Europol has issued a new report warning of the threat of ISIS fighters in Europe, saying it is possible that there are “dozens” of ISIS members operating within Europe, and that they could employ myriad tactics in future attacks against nations on the continent.

They went on to say that ISIS could use car bombs in their attacks, or potentially even launch chemical weapons attacks someplace within Europe, as these are common tactics for them in Iraq and Syria now, and they appear to have improved in their ability to launch chemical attacks.

The warning of dozens appears conservative, as ISIS has recruited thousands of fighters from Europe, and there have been concerns about fighters starting to trickle back for years. Since European officials have long conceded they don’t have great intelligence on ISIS members going to Syria or return from there, it’s a virtual given that there are a number of them in Europe.

At the same time, it’s not clear how practical it would be for ISIS to launch chemical weapons attacks in Europe, as their attacks in Syria and Iraq have been of limited success, and rested on their ability to use empty chemical shells from Syria’s dismantled program, something which isn’t just sitting around in most European ccities.

Author: Jason Ditz

Jason Ditz is Senior Editor for Antiwar.com. He has 20 years of experience in foreign policy research and his work has appeared in The American Conservative, Responsible Statecraft, Forbes, Toronto Star, Minneapolis Star-Tribune, Providence Journal, Washington Times, and the Detroit Free Press.