EU official: Europe home to 57,000 extremists

BRUSSELS - 1 September 2017: European Union's Counter-Terrorism Coordinator Gilles de Kerchove said that Britain is home to about 35,000 extremists, warning that they pose a major threat against national security.

Kerchove pointed out that the United Kingdom has more radicalized Muslims than any other country in Europe, saying that 3,000 out of those 35,000 are worrying for MI5, and 500 are under constant and special attention.

“France has 17,000. Spain many less, but more than 5,000 I suppose. In Belgium almost 500 have been to Syria and there are around 2,000 radicals or more," Kerchove said.

He also warned that Daesh terrorist group will attempt a cyber-attack on nuclear power stations or air traffic control systems within five years - possibly by paying Russian hackers to break into vital computer systems, according to Sky News channel.

"We must select those who are really worrying and the most dangerous, and they should be monitored 24 hours a day, seven days a week,” Kerchove stated.