French hunt ‘terrorists’ days before Euro 2016
MORE than 20 suspected extremists with potential links to Isil have disappeared in France, security sources have warned with the Euro 2016 championships due to start tomorrow.
Authorities around Paris are said to be monitoring hundreds of addresses to track down “22 or 23” missing names. The Foreign Office has told Britons planning to travel to be “vigilant at all times”.
England defender Chris Smalling said the squad had not spoken about the terror threat and had a “fantastic security team” so had “nothing to worry about”.
It came as a British police chief warned that Isil was deliberately encouraging people with mental illnesses to carry out terror attacks, after a man suffering from psychosis was convicted of trying to behead a Tube passenger.
Muhiddin Mire, 30, attacked Lyle Zimmerman at random with a knife last year at Leytonstone Tube station, in east London.
He was found guilty of attempted murder yesterday at the Old Bailey and will be sentenced next month. His attack was ultimately not treated as terror-related but he claimed at the time he was acting in revenge for Syrian deaths.
Commander Dean Haydon, head of Scotland Yard’s CounterTerrorism Command, said Isil was using propaganda to inspire lone atrocities by so-called “spontaneous volatile extremists”.
THEIR trumpet-led choruses of The Great Escape theme have rung around stadiums since Glenn Hoddle took his seat in the England manager’s dugout in 1996. But the familiar terrace refrain could be missing from Euro 2016 after a failure to secure permission for the England Supporters Band to attend tournament games. The band’s presence is under threat because the Football Association didn’t make an official request to Uefa after security was heightened in the wake of the Paris terror attacks. Uefa last night told The Daily Telegraph it had received no contact since informing all national associations that they must seek approval to admit fans’ bands into grounds. Members were said to be “hopeful” of being allowed into stadiums after the Welsh FA reportedly said the Welsh supporters’ band had secured permission. However, a Uefa spokesman said: “Uefa asked all national associations in March to request an approval for coordinated fan activities in order to avoid issues on match days. “Many teams have put their requests forward, which have been approved subsequently. No such official request has been received from the FA so far.” The band is still expected to arrive fully equipped for England’s opening tournament match against Russia in Marseille on Saturday night, before the team take on Wales next Thursday. Band leader John Hemmingham, from Sheffield, said: “I can’t imagine they’d let the Welsh band in and not us.” An FA spokesman said: “The FA always requests for the England Supporters Travel Club band to be granted permission to enter host stadiums with their instruments. During venue visits for Euro 2016, the FA was advised that musical instruments would not be permitted in all stadiums. The FA had not been advised of any change to this regulation but we understand that Uefa are now looking into our original request.”