Around 60 people suspected of travelling abroad for terrorist activities have returned to Canada, while another 190 remain overseas, according to a new government report on Canada’s terrorism threat released Tuesday.

The assessment from Public Safety Canada places the country’s terrorism threat level at medium, meaning authorities believe a terrorist attack could occur in Canada. The threat level has been at medium since October 2014.

The estimated number of returning foreign fighters to Canada also remained flat from last year’s report; Canadian security authorities have offered the 60-person figure since at least 2016.

Senior government officials would not say if they believed all 60 individuals directly participated in terrorist acts, only that all were “engaged in terrorist activities abroad” and “could potentially pose a threat to Canada.”

A government official, speaking on a not-for-attribution basis, said the 60 individuals are “continuously” monitored and assessed, and Public Safety is pursuing options including “ongoing surveillance activities, ongoing investigations (and) refusal and revocation of passports.” The department said none of the suspected foreign fighters has been detained because it’s still gathering enough admissible evidence to charge them with a crime.

“Canada’s security and intelligence agencies constantly assess and reassess all data to be effective in keeping Canadians safe,” Public Safety Minister Ralph Goodale said in a statement after the report’s release.

“Canada has a full range of counterterrorism tools, and we use all of them, including the Global Coalition against Daesh, intelligence-gathering, lawful sharing with our Five Eyes and G7 partners, criminal charges and prosecutions in every possible case, peace bonds, public listings, the no-fly list, passport revocations, and appropriate threat-reduction measures.”

The Public Safety report identifies Islamic extremists as the greatest terrorist threat to Canada, but also warns of the risks posed by far-right radicals and Sikh fundamentalists. It notes that while groups like the Islamic State often claim to have orchestrated attacks, such as this past summer’s shooting in Toronto’s Danforth neighbourhood, most perpetrators are not directly tied to any terrorist entity, though may still be inspired by them.

No attacks in Canada in 2018 were carried out by terrorist organizations, and attacks by terrorist groups occurred less frequently worldwide compared to last year, according to Public Safety.

The power and influence of ISIS, alternatively known as the Islamic State or Daesh, has declined rapidly over the past 24 months, with the group losing around 98 per cent of its territory in Iraq and Syria since 2017. Public Safety officials say its decline has meant fewer Canadians are leaving the country to join the group and more are likely to return.

The report warns that terrorists are increasingly resorting to unsophisticated weapons to conduct attacks, such as knives and vehicles, while sensitive transportation infrastructure such as airports remain popular targets. Public Safety is also worried by the number of Canadians who financially support terrorist groups operating in the Middle East and South Asia, noting that the Internet continues to be an invaluable recruitment and indoctrination tool for extremist groups.

The report’s release coincides with the launch of the government’s National Strategy on Countering Radicalization to Violence. The strategy describes the government’s approach to deterring radicalization before it manifests as violence. Goodale said the new strategy will allow Canada to “become a world leader in working to prevent the types of radicalization that lead to violence.”

Follow @CharliePinkerto