LONDON (AP) — British Prime Minister David Cameron is proposing new laws that would give police the power to seize passports from Britons who are suspected of having traveled abroad to fight alongside terror groups.
Speaking to Parliament, Cameron also said his government is working on plans to block those suspected British jihadi fighters from re-entering the U.K.
The government would also get stronger powers to monitor those suspects who are already in Britain.
The plans to widen the country’s anti-terror laws are aimed at preventing attacks by Islamist militants returning from terror training in trouble spots in the Middle East. The plans are expected to be approved by Parliament.
Intelligence and security services suspect that around 500 Britons have gone to fight in Syria and potentially Iraq. Cameron has described the extremism posed by the Islamic State group as the biggest security threat of modern times — surpassing that of al-Qaida — and said it poses a direct threat to Europe.
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170-c-21-(Kyle McKinnon, correspondent, with British Prime Minister David Cameron)-“on their watch-lists”-Correspondent Kyle McKinnon reports the British prime minister is pushing for legal grounds to keep British nationals from returning home if they’re suspected of working alongside terrorists overseas. (1 Sep 2014)
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169-w-35-(Kyle McKinnon, correspondent, with British Prime Minister David Cameron)–Britain’s prime minister is proposing laws to give law enforcement more power to confront the threat of Islamist militants at home. Correspondent Kyle McKinnon reports. (1 Sep 2014)
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APPHOTO LMD101: A British police officer stands guard outside the Houses of Parliament in London, Monday, Sept. 1, 2014. Britain’s Prime Minister David Cameron is expected on Monday to expand powers to combat terrorism in hopes of preventing attacks by Islamist militants returning from terror training in the Middle East. (AP Photo/Matt Dunham) (1 Sep 2014)
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