200 Islamic State fanatics stripped of UK passports

AROUND 200 British Islamic State fighters who travelled to Iraq and Syria have been stripped of their passports, a terror chief suggested yesterday.

Deputy Assistant Commissioner Neil Basu said this left up to 100 left in the region who could attempt to return to Britain. The counter-terror officer emphasised that authorities are watching out for any militants who try to come back.

Security services estimate that 300 individuals who travelled from the UK to take part in the conflict remain in the region. In an interview published by the Combating Terrorism Centre at the West Point military academy in the US, Mr Basu said: ‘Like other countries, we operate on the principle that we don’t want you back, and therefore we will deprive you of your British passport. And the Government has done that.

‘Because of this, the ones who could come back are about a third of this 300 number.

‘And for those among these who end up coming back, we are absolutely waiting for them. That’s the bottom line.’