When people think of Islamic State, they often think of the barbarous and terrible atrocities committed in Syria and Iraq. But Islamic State is already bigger than that. The self-styled Islamic Caliphate already has an offshoot in Nigeria and is gaining traction in central Africa too. But, the biggest threat is Libya. The news about the Eastern City of Derna being taken over by IS has already emerged and the legally elected government based in Tobruk seems to be impotent in the face of the threat on its doorstep.

But speaking in parliament this week, Foreign Minister George Vella said that the situation is very fluid and that the last two Maltese diplomats had been pulled out of Libya, and that the embassy there was only being manned by Libyan staff. He said that although he believes that the vast majority of Libyan people are in favour of peace and development of their country, the spectre of IS looms large. He said that it is worrying that the black flag of IS has even been seen in Tripoli.

Aside from Malta's business interests, and as the Minister correctly highlights, the threat of more boat crossings as lawlessness prevails, the sight of that black flag is of worry to the Mediterranean's stability as a whole.

Malta is very close to Libya. It is only about an hour's flight away - a grand total of 374 kilometres from Tripoli. It is no secret that there are a substantial amount of Libyan people residing (or taking a hiatus) in Malta. And is also worthy to note that most of these people seem to be rather affluent, with many frequenting the Sliema area.

One would not think that those Libyans who are here in Malta are here with bad intentions. But can we ever be sure? Does our immigration vetting department screen Libyan nationals who enter the country? One would assume that it does, but perhaps, in light of Dr Vella's speech in parliament, the general public should be made more aware of what is going on. This threat cannot be ignored. The Islamic State is an ideology that is attracting many young and disillusioned Europeans of North African and Middle Eastern descent to fight in its ranks. The Islamic society in Malta has always been one that promotes tolerance, peace and co-existence, as has been made repeatedly clear by Imam al Saadi and others who hold positions of authority.

It is hard to believe that we might have radicals in our midst. On mainland Europe, many are radicalised by hate preachers, and thankfully we do not have any that we know of in our country. But we must look forward to think of future generations. Just like France and the UK and many others have seen young men from good Muslim families leave to wage Jihad, we could face a similar situation five or ten years down the line as sidelined African immigrants are not given the chance to fully integrate into our society.