Theresa May proposes tough new measures to tackle home-grown jihadis returning to the UK and commit atrocities like Manchester
Theresa May told fellow G7 leaders they faced an increasing threat from experienced jihadist fighters
WORLD leaders have united behind Theresa May after the Manchester atrocity as she unveiled a new plan to hunt down foreign fighters globally.
Chairing talks at the G7 summit in Sicily on terrorism, the PM proposed sweeping new actions to stop jihadis bringing horror back to Britain.
The PM warned that the UK and other Western states face a spiralling threat from jihadis returning home from war-torn countries like Syria and Libya.
As the other leaders pledged redouble their efforts in light of the Manchester attack, Mrs May proposed:
- pooling national databases of jihadis and their movements far more widely;
- toughening up laws everywhere so killers like Salman Abedi can be arrested wherever they are spotted;
- fresh training and logistical support for struggling states such as Iraq.
The move comes after it is believed that Manchester Arena suicide bomber Salman Abedi slipped back into Britain via Dusseldorf four days before his murderous attack on Monday night.
The warped 22-year-old made the trip from Istanbul to Manchester via the German city to avoid detection by MI5.
Mrs May told the other leaders: "It is vital we do more to cooperate with our partners in the region to step up returns and prosecutions of foreign fighters.
"This means improving intelligence-sharing, evidence gathering and bolstering countries' police and legal processes."
She added: “As the military situation on the ground changes more of these fighters may try to return to their original country, and pose a threat there.
“We need to securely share data on our foreign fighters, such as names and nationalities, so they can be spotted by different countries as they cross borders, and decisions made on whether they should be arrested.
“When our allies find evidence, such as video or papers, of illegal activity involving foreign fighters - for example a Brit in a conflict zone - they should pass that to our authorities.”
One recent success with international cooperation on jihadis was the jailing of British-born foreign fighter Aine Davis.
He was been arrested in 2015 near Istanbul after MI6 and Turkish police tracked him being smuggled out of Syria by ISIS.
He was found guilty of being a senior member of a terrorist organisation and jailed for seven-and-a-half years.
Before she flew home Mrs May issued a stark warning over the spiralling new terror threat from ISIS.
It came as all the other G7 leaders signed up to her plans to clamp down on jihadi fighters and social media giants.
The PM said: “Against the backdrop of Monday’s cowardly attack in Manchester, we agreed the threat of Daesh is evolving rather than disappearing.
“As they lose ground in Iraq and Syria, foreign fighters are returning and hateful ideology is spreading online.”
She insisted: “Make no mistake, the fight is moving from the battlefield to the internet.
“Internet companies can do more. Today, I called on leaders to do more.”
Mrs May added: “We can only defeat this evil together with determined and coordinated action”.
“Here in Sicily, the G7 has come together to address the biggest issues we face.”
The PM also thanked Mr Trump and the other world bosses for their solidarity over Manchester.
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Mrs May is leaving the two day summit in the hilltop Sicilian town of Taormina early because of the Manchester terror crisis, flying home on Friday night instead of Saturday lunchtime like the other leaders.
The G7 summit’s final declaration is hastily being rewritten in light of Monday night’s atrocity to commit the world’s seven richest nations to tougher crackdowns on foreign fighters.
The group also agreed with the PM’s global crackdown on internet giants like Facebook to do more to get rid of hate online.
Mrs May is chairing a special session on counter-terrorism at the annual summit in Sicily.
Her online push received passionate support from French president Emmanuel Macron.
After the pair held talks in the margins of the G7 summit, a Downing Street spokeswoman said: "They agreed on the need for collective action by the G7 to stop the spread of poisonous material and propaganda on the internet that is leading people down the path towards terrorism”.