GETTY EU chief Gilles de Kerchove warned against jailing some ISIS defectors

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Gilles de Kerchove warned against jailing ISIS defectors who are not considered a risk – because prisons are "major incubators" of radicalisation. The Belgian said: "If there is no evidence that they are an active jihadi, is it really worth putting them on the trail that leads to prison? "If you can avoid prison for those who are genuinely ready to engage in a rehabilitation program, why don’t we try alternatives?"

De Kerchove also suggested the defectors could be used to combat ISIS – also known as Daesh – if they talk to people considering joining the group. He said: "Some returnees who don't have 'blood on their hands' are a strong credible voice for counter-narrative purposes. "They can explain what they have experienced – that they thought they were joining a nice idea of the caliphate but encountered people being violent."

GETTY The bureaucrat claimed prisons are 'major incubators of radicalisation'

Last year the Government admitted more than 375 British Islamists had returned to the UK after fighting for the evil group in Syria and Iraq. The shocking figure was revealed a day after MPs voted to authorise airstrikes against ISIS targets in Syria – sparking fears of revenge attacks in Britain. But officials refused to tell Express.co.uk how many of the jihadists walking the UK’s streets were being monitored by MI5 or the police.

Palmyra after ISIS Tue, August 22, 2017 Islamic State fighters in Syria have reportedly blown up the ancient ruins of Palmyra, an ancient World Heritage home to renowned Roman-era ruins. Play slideshow AFP/Getty Images 1 of 51 A picture of the Arc du Triomphe before and after it was destroyed