Amid concerns that its citizens may join jihadist groups in Syria and Iraq and then bring terrorism back to their home country, Britain is announcing new measures against radicalized locals.
Prime Minister David Cameron, who is visiting Australia, on Friday (local time) outlined plans to seize passports from radicalized Britons and stop them returning from fighting overseas, while proposing landing bans on airlines that fail to comply with London’s no-fly lists.
“We will shortly be introducing our own new Counter-Terrorism Bill in the UK. New powers for police at ports to seize passports, to stop suspects travelling and to stop British nationals returning to the UK unless they do so on our terms,” he said in Australia’s parliament, according to the AFP news agency.
“New rules to prevent airlines that don’t comply with our no-fly lists or security screening measures from landing in the UK,” he added.
The danger from radicalized Britons was illustrated last month, when a four-man Islamic State (ISIS) terror cell was busted by police before apparently planning to behead one or several Britons on the streets of London.
Britain’s most senior police officer said last month that statistics show that five UK citizens are leaving each and every week to join the ISIS in Syria and Iraq.
While the figures for the UK look bleak, the ISIS recruits from Britain are a mere pittance compared to France, where over 1,000 citizens are predicted to have joined ISIS. Shockingly enough, those recruits include several Jewish girls who apparently converted to Islam.
Other countries have faced this problem as well, including Australia where Cameron is visiting.
In September, Australia arrested 15 members of an ISIS cell that was planning to behead a random member of the public in a campaign of terror.