Interpol warns 173 ISIL suicide bombers have been trained for Europe attacks

Following its recent setbacks in the Middle East, ISIL is believed to have trained 173 fighters to launch revenge terror attacks in Europe.

Interpol has drawn up a list in collaboration with American intelligence agencies based on information collected after the terror group’s stronghold in Iraq and Syria were recently liberated.

There has long been a fear that with the collapse of the so-called ‘caliphate’ in the Middle East, ISIL fighters would spread out from the region and would seek to come to Europe and beyond to launch ‘lone wolf’ attacks.

The Guardian reports that there is no evidence that any of the names on the list, which the newspaper has seen, have entered Europe but by putting out the warning, Interpol is asking security bodies across the continent to feedback on what they know of the people.

The list, dated from May 27, says that the fighters are people who "may have been trained to build and position improvised explosive devices in order to cause serious deaths and injuries. It is believed that they can travel internationally, to participate in terrorist activities.

"The people have been identified through materials found in the hiding places of Isil, the Islamic state of Iraq and the Levant.” It goes on to say that "it emerges that those subjects may have manifested willingness to commit a suicidal attack or martyrdom to support Islam”.

Each fighter on the list has had an ID created for them which will allow the countries who make up Interpol to add them to their own watchlists of terror suspects.

The agency claims that circulating such a list is a normal part of their activities. "Interpol regularly sends alerts and updates to its national central bureaux (NCB) on wanted terrorists and criminals via our secure global police communications network,” a spokesman said. "It is the member country which provides the information that decides which other countries it can be shared with.

"The purpose of sending these alerts and updates is to ensure that vital policing information is made available when and where it is needed, in line with a member country’s request.”