Europol say a massive security operation is being mounted in France for Euro 2016

The head of the EU's law enforcement agency Interpol says the Euro 2016 tournament is an 'obvious' target for Islamic State (IS) terrorists.

But Rob Wainwright says the French authorities are mounting a massive security operation in an attempt to ensure that any potential attacks are thwarted.

Wainwright was speaking after the US government issued a travel alert to Americans on Tuesday, warning of the risk of potential attacks across Europe.

And the US State Department singled out Euro 2016, which takes place between 10 June and 10 July.

In response, Wainwright, who is a director of Europol, said: "I have no doubt that the Euros are on a potential target list for IS, for obvious reasons. That's a pretty obvious assumption.

"The threat (level) is high, I think, but the risk isn't necessarily high because, to counter-balance that threat, I see a huge amount of security preparations being taken by the French authorities, with extra police and military drafted in.

"We are dealing with a country a bit like Britain, where they know how to do their security, and they've learned a lot of lessons also from the attacks last November."

The French capital was attacked in November and 130 people were killed as bars, restaurants and the Stade de France were targeted.

And 32 people died when Brussels was hit by suicide bombings at the airport and on the Metro in March.

French authorities have extended a state of emergency until the end of the tournament, in which around 2.5 million football fans are expected in stadiums.

The US State Department travel alert, which expires on 31 August, said: "Euro Cup stadiums, fan zones, and unaffiliated entertainment venues broadcasting the tournaments in France and across Europe represent potential targets for terrorists, as do other large-scale sporting events and public gathering places throughout Europe."

And Wainwright added that it is "difficult to get the threat down to zero".