Get all the very latest news in Ireland straight to your email every single day Sign up! Thank you for subscribing See our privacy notice Invalid Email

A top security analyst has claimed Ireland is "Europe's weakest link" after a chilling ISIS video named the country as a prime target for attack.

Former Irish Army Captain Tom Clonan warned the evil terror group is looking for security weak spots and that Ireland would fit that profile.

He made his remarks after the ruthless Islamic fanatics claimed for the first time that Ireland is part of a "coalition of devils".

It showed the tricolour among 60 other nation flags ISIS claim are part of a coalition against them.

Mr Clonan told the Irish Mirror: “In launching an attack on Paris they exploited a perceived weakness in the intelligence relationship between Brussels and Paris.... they looked for the gap in the hedge.

“They are picking security weak spots, they are not going to go for the most secure, defended protected target. Their modus operandi is to go for weakness.

“And guess what? Ireland is Europe’s weakest link when it comes to security, defence and intelligence.

(Image: Photo: Gareth Chaney Collins)

“Ireland is also the global headquarters for Facebook, Google and Twitter. We have Shannon Airport where 2.2 million US troops have passed through.

“So if you were the bad guy how would you see Ireland now that we are named amongst the 60 devils? Ireland is a very attractive target for these people.”

READ MORE:ISIS release chilling new video in English threatening Ireland for being part of 'coalition of devils'

The glossy new Isis video taunts America to ‘bring it on’ claiming that military operations in Afghanistan and Iraq have left troops “demoralised”.

A booming, Hollywood-style voice over says: “We only bow to Allah unless the countless deviant factions raising their false banners.

“America, you claim to have the greatest army history has known.

“You may have the numbers and weapons but your soldiers lack the will and resolve, still scarred from their defeats in Afghanistan and Iraq.”

Dr Clonan, who commanded Irish United Nations troops in Lebanon during Israel’s bloody “Operation Grapes of Wrath” in 1996 believes the country is totally unprepared for an ISIS attack.

He added: “What makes Ireland different from all our neighbours in Europe is that we do not have the investment in intelligence and security that they have in other states.

READ MORE:ISIS claim responsibility after 'suicide bomber' blows up coach killing at least 13

“The events in Paris and Brussels show that Islamic State is a learning organisation and they have moved from being haphazard and amateurish to being able to launch simultaneous attacks across several targets.

“There is now a de facto existential change to the threat in Europe and I think Francis Fitzgerald is the only European minister for justice or interior minister who says there’s no chance to the threat.

“That is completely at odds with the facts and is completely at odds with what everybody else thinks.... in fact it’s completely at odds with common sense.

“Across the water you have got MI5 and MI6, two dedicated intelligence agencies and you have GCHQ in Cheltenham and you have all the metropolitan constabularies, transport and the UK Border Force.

READ MORE:Teenage ISIS 'poster girl' who travelled to Syria 'beaten to death after trying to escape Raqqa'

“All we have is the Guards and they are doing everything from directing traffic on Dame Street and, at the same time trying to monitor protests. Now they are being asked to monitor this new existential threat.

“We have really excellent people in the Gardai but they don’t have enough resources.”

The new Isis video is bound to increase pressure on the Government to give gardai more resources and better training to deal with a possible attack.

In recent weeks Coalition ministers have been accused of failing to deal with the possible threats posed by Islamic extremists and appeared to be convinced the country would not be attack because of our neutrality.

READ MORE:

Tom Clonan maintains that this failure to face the reality of a changed security landscape is a failure of duty on the part of the Government.

He said: “In every other jurisdiction there is an informed discussion about this.

"In the last few weeks I’ve been involved in a number of in-studio conversations with members of the Government and their instinct at all times is to close down the discussions and to say ‘nothing to see here move along’.

“At best it’s patronising and naïve, at worst it’s a significant failure in their duty of care towards the Irish people.

“Enda Kenny let slip at a meeting in Madrid that he’d have been happy to put the army on the streets to protect capital controls but they are not prepared to enter into a discussion about protecting people in the run-up to Christmas against the possibility of a Jihadist attack.”

Are you worried about ISIS targeting Ireland? Let us know in the comments section below