Europol: Up to 5,000 European fighters in Syria pose risk
The head of Europe's police organization Europol said on Tuesday the continent was facing its greatest security threat in more than a decade, with as many as 5,000 Europeans who have joined fighting in Syria posing a risk to their homelands.
Europol Director Rob Wainwright also echoed warnings from spy chiefs and some political leaders in the wake of last week's deadly attacks by Islamist militants in Paris that European security agencies faced a "capability gap" which could leave their countries at risk.
"It is certainly the most serious terrorist threat Europe has faced since 9/11," Wainwright told a British parliamentary committee, referring to the September 11, 2001 attacks in the United States.
