EU officials fear major terrorist attacks inevitable as Europe-based IS jihadists return

Senior EU officials say that a major terrorist attack in Europe is inevitable following the return of Europe-born Islamic state supporters fighting alongside the extremist group in Iraq and Syria.

According to The Guardian, the officials said that the EU's bodies and its 28 governments were under intense US pressure to get to grips with the menace represented by thousands of European citizens fighting in Syria, but that Europe was struggling to develop coherent instruments to reduce the risk of an atrocity.

A senior official said that the EU has clear signals that this was what the foreign fighters were doing and that this was the main threat faced by Europe.

He further said that the home affairs council was aware and frightened, while the police administration was unprepared to tackle such a crisis.

The Islamic State British fighters account for almost a quarter of foreign jihadists with an estimate of 500 Britons among 2,000 foreign fighters from across Europe, say reports.

The beheading of US journalist James Foley is the most recent example of the brutal atrocities being committed by British jihadists in Iraq and Syria, reports the Independent.