Luxembourg: A top US security official has warned Europe that it faced a persistent terror threat, EU ministers said, after French officials cited earlier US intelligence claiming militants could strike European targets.
US Deputy Homeland Security Secretary Jane Holl Lute was invited by European interior ministers to Luxembourg to provide more details on a recent US travel alert warning 'of the potential for terrorist attacks in Europe'.
"Lute confirmed the reality and the persistence of the threat without specifying the exact targets," European Union counter-terrorism coordinator Gilles de Kerchove told a news conference following the meeting.
French Interior Minister Brice Hortefeux confirmed that US authorities informed France that a group of militants from EU countries was planning to return to Europe after combat training in the Afghan-Pakistani border region.
"The threat is real," Hortefeux told reporters.