02:06Belgium: EU counter-terrorism chief warns IS may use chemical weapons
The EU Counter-Terrorism Coordinator Gilles de Kerchove said during his address in a meeting of the Committee on Civil Liberties, Justice and Home Affairs in Brussels, on Monday, that there was reason to believe the self-proclaimed Islamic State (IS; formerly ISIS/ISIL) may turn to new strategies, including the use of chemical weapons.
Discussing how IS are developing different methods for terror attacks, he said, "We fear that DAESH might, step by step, move to other modus operandi, car-bombs might be one, and we know how much they’ve learned in creating vehicle-bombs and building explosive devices. And there is a concern also on the use of chemical weapons. To weaponise chemical stuff."
De Kerchove also raised the question of dealing with extremists who will want to continue their mission in new hiding places, asking, "When the caliphate will collapse, how will we handle not hundreds, but thousands of fighters who will either want to go in another hotspot, and Libya is probably the most obvious one, but there are many other places where they can hide, but also want to get back home?”
02:06The EU Counter-Terrorism Coordinator Gilles de Kerchove said during his address in a meeting of the Committee on Civil Liberties, Justice and Home Affairs in Brussels, on Monday, that there was reason to believe the self-proclaimed Islamic State (IS; formerly ISIS/ISIL) may turn to new strategies, including the use of chemical weapons.
Discussing how IS are developing different methods for terror attacks, he said, "We fear that DAESH might, step by step, move to other modus operandi, car-bombs might be one, and we know how much they’ve learned in creating vehicle-bombs and building explosive devices. And there is a concern also on the use of chemical weapons. To weaponise chemical stuff."
De Kerchove also raised the question of dealing with extremists who will want to continue their mission in new hiding places, asking, "When the caliphate will collapse, how will we handle not hundreds, but thousands of fighters who will either want to go in another hotspot, and Libya is probably the most obvious one, but there are many other places where they can hide, but also want to get back home?”