Spooks monitoring rogue Brit fighters
A MINORITY of rogue Britons fighting in Ukraine could pose a security risk when they return “radicalised and battle-trained”, sources claim.
Fifteen who have travelled to help stave off Russian troops are being tracked by spooks.
Around 300 Brits have answered President Volodymyr Zelensky’s call to join their foreign legion.
This includes Army veterans and around a dozen active servicemen, who have gone AWOL from their bases.
A Whitehall source said: “This is becoming a serious concern. It’s obviously on the radar.
“There are people who are going out there. It might be wellintentioned but they are there with no clear plan.
“The concern is that they fall in with the wrong crowd, far-right groups or otherwise.
“The danger is they return not only radicalised but battletrained. It could be dangerous and is being monitored.”
While the greatest threat in the UK is from Islamist activists, far-right terrorist incidents have risen in recent years, not least when MP Jo Cox was killed in 2016 by a right-wing extremist.
Nick Lowles, from campaign group Hope not Hate, said: “We have a concern about the possibility of weapons falling into the wrong hands and being distributed across Europe.”
Chris Phillips, former head of the National Counter Terrorism Security Office, said: “The greater concern is if British active or former servicemen are caught by Russians, potentially dragging us into the war.”