Islamic State (IS) fighters are being smuggled into Europe by gangs in the Mediterranean, an adviser to the Libyan government has told the BBC.

Abdul Basit Haroun said smugglers were hiding IS militants on boats filled with migrants.Officials in Italy and Egypt have previously warned that IS militants could reach Europe by migrant boat.However, experts have cautioned that it is very difficult to verify or assess such claims.

Mr Haroun based his claim on conversations with smugglers in parts of North Africa controlled by the militants.He alleged that IS was allowing the boat owners to continue their operations in exchange for half of their income.

The UN estimates that 60,000 people have already tried to cross the Mediterranean this year.More than 1,800 people are feared to have died making the journey in often overcrowded and unseaworthy boats in 2015 - a 20-fold increase on the same period in 2014.

In an interview with BBC Radio 5 live Investigates, Mr Haroun said IS used the boats "for their people who they want to send to Europe, as the European police don't know who is from IS and who is a normal refugee or not".

These militants often sat separately from the other migrants, he said.

(BBC)