‘Some 450 Britons trained in Syria for IS, then returned’

Scotland Yard is investigating 600 terror cases related to Syria and Iraq, the Daily Telegraph reports today.

Charles Farr, director of the Office for Security and Counter-Terrorism, is quoted by the paper as saying that Islamic State is inspiring British nationals who “couldn’t go” to IS-controlled territories in Syria or Iraq to “undertake attacks” independently inside the UK.

“About 750 [British citizens] of interest to the security and intelligence services” traveled to Syria; “about 60 percent have returned,” he says. Up to 70 Britons had been killed in fighting, the Telegraph quotes Farr as saying.

According to the paper, the new figures presented on the eve of the Paris attacks are dramatically higher than previous estimates, which put the number at 350, less than half.