( dpa ) - The rise of so-called home-grown terrorism in Europe now poses one of the biggest threats to US security, forcing a tightening of security checks on travellers, US Homeland Security head Michael Chertoff has said.
In an interview Wednesday on the BBC's World News America programme, Chertoff said attacks and plots in Europe over recent years had made the US aware of the "real risk that Europe will become a platform for terrorists."
It was therefore likely that security checks on travellers from Europe would be increased, without harming travel or trade.
"I have to say the biggest threat comes from overseas and one of the places we are increasingly worried about is Europe," Chertoff said.
He cited the deadly bomb attacks in Madrid and London, in 2004 and 2005, and a terror alert affecting transatlantic flights in 2006, as well as "people travelling from South Asia and the Middle East into Europe and carrying out attacks there."