Trump threatens to release ISIS prisoners; here’s how European countries respond

Washington: Responding to US president Donald Trump’s threat that Washington will be forced to release ISIS prisoners if their respective countries don’t take them, European Union countries said they won’t be steamrollered into taking back citizens caught fighting for Islamic State in Syria just because U.S. President Donald Trump tells them to.

While France said it’ll assess each case on its merits, Britain threatened to stop ISIS veterans returning home. Meanwhile, Germany said it won’t accept them without guarantees they can be taken into custody straight away.

Bloomberg quoted Justice Minister Nicole Belloubet as saying, ‘France won’t respond to injunctions, we are ready in case anything changes, but at this stage, we are keeping the case-by-case policy we have always had.’

It must be noted that Trump on Saturday threatened to release EU nationals captured during U.S. military operations against ISIS unless European governments take responsibility for them. In a tweet, he said, ‘The United States is asking Britain, France, Germany and other European allies to take back over 800 ISIS fighters that we captured in Syria and put them on trial. The Caliphate is ready to fall. The alternative is not a good one in that we will be forced to release them……..’

German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas told the reporters on Monday, “They could come to Germany only after ensuring that they could immediately be taken into custody.” “At the moment it’s not evident how all this could be guaranteed,” he added.

On the other hand, British Home Secretary Sajid Javid wrote in the Sunday Times that: “My message is clear: if you have supported terrorist organisations abroad I will not hesitate to prevent your return. If you do manage to return you should be ready to be questioned, investigated and potentially prosecuted.”