England’s women on terror alert

ISIS ‘THREATENING EURO TIE’

SECURITY chiefs are warning England and Scotland’s women that their European Championship opener next week has been identified as a terror target by ISIS militants.

Dutch counter-terrorism chiefs have identified a threat made by Islamic State militants that called on ‘lone wolf’ followers to target next Wednesday’s group game in Utrecht, Holland.

Counter-terrorism agency NCTV say they are taking seriously the threat, which was made through the encrypted Telegram messaging service, a method used by IS militants to communicate with individuals or groups.

No specific attack plan has been identified.

However, England and Scotland will now step up their security preparations ahead of the game following consultations with the Dutch authorities.

An FA spokesperson said: ‘ The safety and security of the team and our supporters are our priority and, as is usual for any match, we are in regular contact with the relevant authorities in the Netherlands and the UK.’

England play Scotland on Wednesday night at the 23,750- capacity Stadion Galgenwaard in Utrecht in one of the highest profile games of the group stages at Euro 2017.

Tournament organisers UEFA are also stepping up their own security precautions ahead of the fixture.

A UEFA spokesman said: ‘Together with the local organising committee and the KNVB (Dutch Football Association) we are in close contact with the local authorities, who are currently investigating the matter.’

The Women’s European Championship opens on Sunday when the hosts face Norway, also in Utrecht. England and Scotland have been drawn in Group D along with Portugal and Spain.

The Dutch are yet to raise their national threat level of a terrorist atack. Currently, this sits at level four out of five, with the government warning there is a ‘ real chance that an attack could occur’, although there is ‘no concrete evidence’ of an imminent incident.