List of IS fighters who may attack Europe 'circulated by Interpol'

A list of 173 suspected Islamic State fighters - possibly trained to launch suicide attacks in Europe - has reportedly been circulated by Interpol.

The world's largest police organisation believes the fighters may seek to "build and position improvised explosive devices in order to cause serious deaths and injuries".

The information was collected by US intelligence agencies during assaults on IS strongholds in Iraq and Syria, according to the Guardian.

As well as naming suspects, the dossier specifies the date each fighter was recruited by the terror group, where they pray and their last known address.

The newspaper reports that there is no evidence to suggest any of those listed have entered Europe, and Interpol's list is designed to gather further information about them from EU intelligence sources.

It is hoped that national police forces will be able to contribute details including the suspects' passport numbers, biometric data, and details of any border crossings they make or crimes they commit.

In a statement, an Interpol spokesperson said: "Interpol regularly sends alerts and updates to its National Central Bureaus (NCB) on wanted terrorists and criminals via I-24/7, our secure global police communications network.

"It is the member country which provides the information that decides which other countries it can be shared with.

"The purpose of sending these alerts and updates is to ensure that vital policing information is made available when and where it is needed."

Last year, tens of thousands of documents containing the names, addresses, telephone numbers and family contacts of IS jihadis were obtained by Sky News.

The files identified a number of previously unknown jihadis in the UK, across northern Europe, much of the Middle East and North Africa, as well as in the US and Canada.