Young Muslims lured to Syria by extremist groups should not automatically be labelled terrorists but dealt with like victims of trafficking, the head of Europol has said.
Rob Wainwright, the British director of the pan-European Union policing agency, told the Independent that authorities should mimic the tactics used in anti-slavery operations to stem the flow of aspiring jihadists who have often been groomed online.
His comments add to the debate over whether three East London schoolgirls who travelled to Syria during their half-term holiday should be treated like criminals or victims of internet grooming.
Wainwright drew a direct comparison between foreign fighters and people who are trafficked over borders for sexual exploitation or labour. "The facilitated movement of foreign fighters to Syria and Iraq - aided by false promises and the coercion of victims upon arrival - carries similar characteristics," he said, urging governments to look at the policies which have helped battle trafficking.
Europol's intelligence suggests at least 5000 EU citizens are fighting alongside jihadist groups in Syria and Iraq or have travelled to those countries and returned home.
Wainwright acknowledged "a good many of them" could return to try carrying out attacks, but said deradicalisation programmes needed to be part of the strategy.
"The numbers are such that we can't possibly survey everyone around the clock," he said.