Islamic terrorists 'ready to strike' in Europe

Teams of trained Islamic extremists who escaped the US led war in Afghanistan are hiding in Europe, ready “to hit at the chosen moment,” the head of France’s counter-espionage service said today.

Pierre de Bousquet de Florian told Le Monde newspaper that six French suspected extremists being held by US authorities told interrogators they were trained to be financially independent and use false papers to travel inside Europe.

The six were captured in Afghanistan and French investigators, accompanied by US officials, questioned them at the US naval base at Cuba’s Guantanamo Bay, where they are being held.

De Florian told Le Monde that several dozen extremists who went to Afghanistan for training managed to escape the fighting and returned to France and other European countries. He did not say specifically where they are hiding.

“Small teams able to mobilise and hit at the chosen moment” are active in France, de Florian was quoted as saying.

“They are largely financially autonomous. They subsist thanks to delinquency, theft, credit card fraud, or there is a more recent example, selling fake designer clothing.”

He said the extremists spend most of their time identifying suitable targets for terror attacks.

“One must also highlight the mobility of these groups, whose members travel in Europe - with false papers - contacting each other,” he said.

It was the second time this week that French officials have warned that extremists living seemingly normal lives in Western countries could strike at any moment.

De Florian, the counter-espionage director whose agency is known by its French initials DST, did not speculate about the fate of terror chief Osama bin Laden, but said that if still alive, he would still have access to considerable funds, include donations from rich Muslims not necessarily aware the money would end up in terrorists’ hands.