London: At least 250 Britain-based jihadis who went to fight in war-torn Syria have returned home, sparking a terror alert as they are now suspected of wanting to carry out attacks in the UK, a media report said on Sunday.
Senior security officials said around 250 "extremist tourists" have returned home, and are now being monitored by security services, The Sunday Times reported.
The figure is five times higher than previously thought and includes several `veterans` who earlier fought in Afghanistan and Pakistan.
They are now suspected of wanting to carry out attacks or of inciting others to do so in the UK, sparking a terror alert in the country.
MI5 and police have already intercepted an alleged serious plot by jihadis returning from the war-torn region last autumn.
They were said to be planning a Mumbai-style gun attack on civilians in a crowded place, possibly London.
Syria has been wracked by nearly three years of conflict that has reportedly claimed the lives of more than 1,40,000 people so far.
A UN-mediated efforts to bring warring sides to the negotiating table appeared to falter yesterday with the opposition activists and the representatives of embattled president Bashar al-Assad failing to agree even on an agenda for holding further talks.
