Lebanese minister tells Cameron jihadists are coming 'under cover' to attack the West

Lebanese education minister Elias Bousaab, who met the Prime Minister during his lightning visit to the region, said the extremist group is sending trained jihadists ‘under cover’ to attack targets in the West. 

If true, it could mean up to 400 of the 20,000 refugees Britain has promised to accept by 2020 have been radicalised. 

Mr Bousaab said the extremists choose targets, including children, in refugee camps and schools before trafficking them into Europe via Turkey and Greece. 

He added that Isis is posing a worsening threat by ‘growing and mushrooming’. 

Asked if Islamic State was sending its members into Europe under cover, the minister said: ‘My gut feeling is yes they are facilitating such an operation.

‘Yes of course to go to Europe and other places. You may have let’s say two per cent [of refugees] that could be radicals.’

He said most travelled over land through Turkey to Greece.

Mr Bousaab added: 'I would say anyone who works together to combat Isis this is the solution because Isis is growing and mushrooming.

‘It’s becoming a danger because they are recruiting kids from schools, they are recruiting everywhere.

‘It’s a very dangerous situation and the world should wake up and do something about that.

‘Isis will not stop at the border with Lebanon, before you know it Isis will be in Europe.’

He said his experience of dealing with refugees showed him they were not ‘organised’ enough to carry out the crossing to Europe without help.

‘They are not in an organised stage that they can do that [crossing] on their own.

‘And then you see them arriving in places - they are all dressed with something, unified, uniform, vests.

‘But in my opinion for the refugees we can help them to stay where they are if they get proper health, proper education, proper food.'

He warned that without more help for those in the refugee camps people with ‘no hope, no work, no education ‘and who are poor could be ‘easy to recruit’.

Mr Bousaab said: ‘We talk about these children that are supposed to be in school.

‘But if you think about it, if you have a child that is out of school for two or three years it is very difficult after three or four years to bring your child back into school.

‘So what we end up having is a lost generation. Now we are risking losing an entire generation.’

Mr Bousaab’s warning came as Mr Cameron visited refugee camps to see how Britain’s £1billion aid spending is used. 

On his first visit to Lebanon, the PM said that without aid, hundreds of thousands more people could attempt the perilous crossing into Europe.

He urged other nations to ‘step up to the plate’ and give more as Britain has given ten times as much as some. The comments come after EU leaders criticised the UK for not doing enough.

Mr Cameron also went to a camp in Jordan on his 24-hour trip. ‘I wanted to come here to see for myself and hear stories of refugees,’ he said.

(dailymail.co.uk)