Terrorists see all Europe as vast battleground, says expert

Islamic State sees the whole of Europe, including Ireland, as the “home of the Jews and the Crusaders” and one “vast battleground” for its terrorists, a leading expert has warned.

Jean-Pierre Filiu, Professor of Middle Eastern Studies at Sciences Po in Paris, says Isis wants to “trigger violence against European Muslims” to fuel recruitment and their narrative of “them against us”.

Speaking in Dublin, Prof Filiu called for a coherent and strong European policy to tackle Isis and said the only way to defeat the terror group is through supporting local armed forces in Syria: “I think Isis is envisioning Europe far more European than Europe is.”