Leaders of the G7 group of the world’s most advanced economies have agreed to cooperate against European jihadists’ threat of attacks when they return home from Syria .
The G7 groups the leaders of the US, Germany, the UK, France, Italy, Canada and Japan.The Brussels summit is hosted by the European Union.
French President Francois Hollande said at a meeting of th G7 in Brussels on Thursday that the leaders decided “to cooperate to prevent, dissuade and punish foreign fighters who can undermine our security”.
“We have unfortunately just had proof of that,” the president said, referring to the May 26 terror attack at the Jewish Museum of Brussels in whih four people were killed.
A 29-year-old Frenchman, Mehdi Nemmouche, who is suspected to be the author of the killings, spent one year with jihadists in Syria. He was arrested last Friday during a routine police check in Marseille, France.
Hollande revealed that “more than 30” French fighters had died in Syria.
EU Interior Ministers are also discussing the issue of European jihadists and counter-terrorism measures during a meeting Thursday in Luxembourg.
“We've more than 2,000 Europeans who have been to Syria, or in the process of going to Syria or who have returned from Syria,” the EU’s counter terrorism chief Gilles de Kerchove said.