Returning jihadists ‘bring drones threat’

THE terror threat to Europe will only increase this year, experts have warned, as growing numbers of foreign fighters return home with “hi-tech” weapons knowledge learnt on the battlefield.

Scores of jihadists are expected to trickle back to the UK and the continent, bringing with them skills acquired in Syria and Iraq, such as the weaponising of drones and the manufacture of car bombs and IEDS, according to a report from analyst Jane’s Terrorism and Insurgency Centre (JTIC).

“Foreign fighters returning to Europe will provide critical skills that will help an increasing number of operational Islamist networks conduct more complex attacks,” Otso Iho, the report’s author, said.

Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (Isil) fighters have found ways to turn commercial technology into effective weapons. Those who monitor the use of drones warn that it is only a matter of time before terrorists attempt to use an armed drone.

“Clearly this is a technology that can cross borders and represents threats outside of conflict zones, so it’s something we all need to take seriously,” Chris Woods, the director of Air Wars, a group which monitors the conflict in Iraq and Syria, told