EU Concerned as Hundreds of Europeans Join Rebel Fight in Syria
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AFP/Getty Images(NEW YORK) — The European Union has reportedly warned that hundreds of Europeans have joined rebels in Syria, mostly from the U.K., France and Ireland.
According to BBC News, the EU anti-terrorism chief, Gilles de Kerchove, estimated that about 500 Europeans had traveled to Syria to fight against the regime of President Bashar al-Assad.
Intelligence agencies across Europe have launched investigations to track methods for recruitment, the BBC reports. Intelligence officials have expressed concern about Europeans joining al Qaeda-linked groups and later returning to the EU to launch terror attacks.
“Not all of them are radical when they leave, but most likely many of them will be radicalized there, will be trained,” de Kerchove told the BBC. “And as we’ve seen, this might lead to a serious threat when they get back.”
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