Angela Merkel has admitted that she effectively invited terrorists into Germany, in a pretty stunning indictment of her own policy.
The German Chancellor told a group of supporters from her Christian Democrats party that extremists had taken their chance to slip into her country.
Tensions in Germany have soared since Merkel opened the door to Middle Eastern and African migrants seeking a better life in Europe.
Little scrutiny was applied to more than a million new entrants.
Repercussions have included infamous events like the mass sex assaults in Cologne on New Year’s Eve, while a string of migrant-linked crimes including rapes in public swimming pools have further inflamed the situation.
According to Reuters, while speaking to party loyalists in east Germany, she said: “In part, the refugee flow was even used to smuggle terrorists.”
Anti-immigration parties were quick to capitalise on the admission.
UKIP spokesman and Heat Street columnist Steven Woolfe MEP said: “Angela Merkel has finally admitted what UKIP have been saying for some time that the migrant route last year was exploited by potential terrorists wanting to infiltrate the European continent.
“Merkel’s policy of opening Europe’s southern border was a monumental mistake that even now many security experts and Europol admit has serious security ramifications for European nations.
‘While we must accept refugees in need, allowing a flow of migrants from the Middle East through a borderless Europe has meant many migrants entered unchecked.
“The EU’s free movement rule has meant free movement for terrorists and weapons. To ensure security, proper border controls should be reinstated in Europe.”