Pakistan names Britons 'trained in terrorism'

INTELLIGENCE services in Pakistan are set to hand over the names of 20 Britons who have spent time with radical militant groups before returning to the UK, it was claimed today.

A dossier on the activities of the men is to be given to British anti-terrorist workers. It is claimed the men have trained with groups linked to al Qaeda and the Taliban and pose a potential threat to British security. Their details have been compiled by Pakistan's intelligence service, the ISI.

They are aged between 17 and 23 and at least four are thought to have been fighting against allied forces in Afghanistan. Eleven of the Britons claimed they were studying in Pakistan and seven said they were visiting relatives. One said he was working for a charity with links to Britain and others said they were on holiday.

An anti-terrorism expert told Sky News: "The ISI have never been happy about sharing information. They are pretty much a law unto themselves but we'd certainly like more intelligence sharing."

Another source said: "We know the number of British Pakistanis engaged in what we would call suspicious activities is much higher - probably in the hundreds - but this isn't a Pakistani priority. The intelligence services here have much bigger things to worry about and these guys haven't committed any crime on Pakistani soil."

Britain has pledged millions of pounds to Pakistan to fight terrorism, including money for education and work to de-radicalise young people.