19 suspected terrorists have crossed Channel in small boats and are living in migrant hotels | The Sun
NINETEEN suspected terrorists have crossed the Channel in small boats and are said to be living in migrant hotels, it was reported last night.
A string of foreign nationals linked with Islamic State are said to have made the dangerous journey across the sea, security sources told the Daily Mail.
Several were under active investigation in other nations when they came here to claim asylum, the paper reported.
And some of them are now under active surveillance by security services including MI5 and GCHQ.
The paper said five were from Iraq, four from Iran, another four from Afghanistan and Somalia, and one from Libya.
At least five are thought to be associated with the Islamic State terror group.
A security source told the paper: "It's a real problem and not something we're able to easily stop.
"Once they're here we can monitor them and limit any potential threat they pose but it adds to the overall surveillance burden."
It comes as more than a 1,000 small boat migrants arrived illegally last week – the most this year so far.
Better weather saw a total 1,057 people make the perilous Channel crossing in 25 dinghies, government figures show.
Last Wednesday brought the biggest single day with 492 migrants coming to Britain’s shores.
It came as The Sun revealed just 215 of them were deported last year.
Last night MPs hit out at the latest revelations – dubbing it a "national scandal".
Natalie Elphicke, the Tory MP for Dover, said: "People will rightly be concerned that terror suspects have been able to enter our country in small boats and not be detained. It's a national scandal.
"This raises serious issues of national security. Ministers must urgently review this situation and make sure that public protection always comes first."
Rishi Sunak has made “stopping the boats” one of his top five priorities before the next election.
He has announced laws meaning anyone who comes to the UK illegally will never be granted a permanent right to stay.
They will be held for 28 days before being either being sent home or deported to a third country like Rwanda.
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And last week the PM unveiled plans for barges to house asylum seekers to ease the cost of hotel bills.
Shadow immigration minister Stephen Kinnock said yesterday: “The Conservatives promised that their plans would deter Channel crossings, yet there have been 1000 in the last seven days alone.
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“Nothing they do is working and their incompetence is costing the taxpayer £6m a day in emergency hotels.
“Their new legislation will only increase their enormous record-high asylum backlog.”
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