Daesh fighters are being smuggled into Europe by gangs in the Mediterranean, the BBC quoted an adviser to the Libyan government as saying on Sunday.

Abdul Basit Haroun said smugglers were hiding Daesh militants on boats filled with migrants.

Officials in Italy and Egypt have previously warned that Daesh militants could reach Europe by migrant boat.

However, experts have cautioned that it is very difficult to verify or assess such claims.

Haroun based his claim on conversations with smugglers in parts of North Africa controlled by the militants.

He alleged that Daesh was allowing the boat owners to continue their operations in exchange for half of their income.

Haroun said Daesh used the boats "for their people who they want to send to Europe, as the European police don't know who is from IS (Daesh) and who is a normal refugee or not".

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