Terror Threat In UK Raised

Topic locked
  • Reply
Terror Threat in UK Raised Sep 24, 2010
Irish terror attack a 'strong possibility'

The threat level to Britain from Irish-related terrorism has been raised from moderate to substantial.

Home Secretary Theresa May said it meant an attack was a "strong possibility".

It was the first time this threat level had been published, the Home Office confirmed.

The head of security service MI5 warned last week that dissident republicans opposed to British rule in Northern Ireland could strike mainland Britain.

The threat from Irish-related terrorism to Britain is still lower than the overall threat from international terrorism, which remains unchanged at "severe".

'Persistent rise'
The new category of threat from Ireland applies to England, Wales and Scotland but not Northern Ireland, where the level also remains "severe".

Mrs May said: "The director-general of the security service has informed me that he has raised the threat to Great Britain from Irish-related terrorism from moderate to substantial, meaning that an attack is a strong possibility.

"Judgements are based on a broad range of factors, including the intent and capabilities of terrorist groups."

She said the information was being released to encourage people to remain vigilant, and a balance needed to be struck between keeping people alert and not alarming them.


Analysis
Mark Simpson
BBC Ireland Correspondent

One of the lessons of Irish history is that when one group of militant republicans lays down its weapons, another faction emerges - even more hardline than the last one. As republicans like to put it, "there will always be an IRA".

Three years ago, MI5 concluded that the threat from terrorism in Northern Ireland was low and likely to decline further. They had not read the history books.

Dissident republicans are trying to copy the Provisional IRA, by broadening their attacks to the UK mainland. Although they are growing in strength, there is no firm evidence yet that they would be capable of doing so.

Groups like the Real IRA have said that they intend to hit political and economic targets in England. As always, actions will speak louder than words.

MI5 Director-General Jonathan Evans said last week there had been a "persistent rise" in activity and ambition by dissidents in Northern Ireland over the past three years.

He said they did not have the capacity to return to the levels of violence caused by the Provisional IRA in the Troubles, but presented a "real and rising" security challenge.

Dissident republicans were responsible for more than 30 attacks or attempted attacks on national security targets since the start of the year, compared to about 20 for the whole of last year, he said.

The Real IRA recently hit out at Britain's "colonial and capitalist" system, threatening to target the City of London's financial institutions.

Metropolitan Police Commissioner Sir Paul Stephenson said: "Clearly we have got to be concerned by what Jonathan Evans said."

'Unaccountable agencies'
BBC Belfast correspondent Andy Martin said: "There is no indication that there is a specific target or indeed that there is capability of dissident republicans to mount an attack, but there is no doubt a desire to mount an attack on Britain."

A spokesman for the Police Federation in Northern Ireland said its chairman, Terry Spence, had predicted that the threat would move to Britain.

He said Mr Spence had pointed out that the terrorist threat historically moved to Britain to attack political and economic targets because of the impact it made.

While a series of attacks on the security forces in Northern Ireland had failed, two soldiers and a policeman had been shot dead, he added.

Northern Ireland First Minister Peter Robinson said the upgraded terror threat was a worrying sign which underlined the need for adequate police resources to "stamp it out".

Shadow Northern Ireland secretary Shaun Woodward said however serious the threat posed to Britain, we should recognise that the peace process has changed Northern Ireland forever.

"Now our task is to ensure that those who wish to use violence to destroy not only the politics, but the peace, will never succeed," he said.

Nationalist SDLP leader Margaret Ritchie claimed MI5 was not sufficiently in control of the threat.

"The threat on this side of the Irish Sea is far too severe for us to leave it to unaccountable agencies with a shady past in the north," she said.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-11408758

shafique
Dubai Shadow Wolf
User avatar
Posts: 13442

  • Reply
Re: Terror Threat in UK Raised Sep 25, 2010
The terror threat in France was raised too:

4:07pm UK, Wednesday September 22, 2010

Sarah Gordon, Sky News Online
The threat of a terror attack on French soil is at a "very real", senior figures have warned.

The country has become a target of violent threats on Jihadi websites over its ban on the full-face Muslim veil - the niqab - and its overseas military operations.

Frederic Pechenard, director general of police and domestic intelligence services, said that security measures had been stepped up after evidence came to light that militants are planning an attack.

"I'm not here to frighten people," he told radio station Europe 1. "But we have serious evidence coming from reliable intelligence sources telling us that there is a risk of a major attack."

He said that Al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb - the group that has claimed responsibility for the abduction of five French nationals and two Africans in northern Niger - is targeting France in particular.


The threat is real, we have stepped up our vigilance.

French interior minister Brice Hortefeux


Mr Pechenard warned the group was capable of targeted assassinations and mass attacks on the Metro or department stores using conventional explosives.

The national terror alert - which is already at "reinforced red" has not been raised, but police are being "extremely vigilant", he added.

Moderate Muslim figures could also be targets and several have now been given armed guards.

Mr Pechenard's warning follows similar comments from other high-profile figures.

French interior minister Brice Hortefeux has said the threat is real and judicial officials confirmed they were looking into reports that a female suicide bomber may be preparing to strike in Paris.

French authorities believe the Mali hostages are still alive and have mobilised their entire military, diplomatic and intelligence apparatus in West Africa to ensure their safe return.

An 80-strong military detachment equipped with spotter planes and intelligence gathering equipment has been deployed in a bid to track down the gang.

France has angered extremists due to its hard-line attitude towards the niqab and its involvement in the NATO mission in Afghanistan.

It also led an armed raid in Mali in July to try and rescue kidnapped 78-year-old French aid worker Michel Germaneau.

Although seven militants were killed, Mr Germaneau was not found and is now believed to be dead.


http://news.sky.com/skynews/Home/World- ... il_Ruling_

Don't worry, I'm sure excuses will be found to deflect France's heightened terror threat level.
event horizon
UAE, Dubai Forums Lord of the posts
User avatar
Posts: 5503

  • Reply
Re: Terror Threat In UK Raised Sep 25, 2010
Predictable reaction from our resident young loon. ;)

Perhaps this time the threats from Moooslims are real (unlike the Algerian cleaners who turned out to be innocent - or the fantasy that EDL fascists in the UK who were arrested for inciting hatred are actually youtube martyrs arrested for only watching clips of Quran burning, for example - scratch the surface of pretty much all loon arguments and there's a chasm between reality and their spin). :mrgreen:

Cheers,
Shafique
shafique
Dubai Shadow Wolf
User avatar
Posts: 13442

  • Reply
Re: Terror Threat In UK Raised Sep 25, 2010
shafique wrote:Predictable reaction from our resident young loon. ;)

Cheers,
Shafique


On the contrary one could also say, typical reaction from our resident cartoon who'd rather polarize every argument and twist it so as to serve his own slanted perspectives.
Scratch the surface of pretty much all his arguments and there's a chasm between folly and even more folly!!! :mrgreen:
Misery Called Life
Dubai Forums Zealot
User avatar
Posts: 3033

  • Reply
Re: Terror Threat In UK Raised Sep 25, 2010
Misery Called Life wrote:
shafique wrote:Predictable reaction from our resident young loon. ;)

Cheers,
Shafique


On the contrary one could also say, typical reaction from our resident cartoon who'd rather polarize every argument and twist it so as to serve his own slanted perspectives.
Scratch the surface of pretty much all his arguments and there's a chasm between folly and even more folly!!! :mrgreen:


He-he, I agree with you student. As a rule any discussion between "loon" and "Islam 24/7" is contra-productive but fun. 8)
Red Chief
Dubai forums GURU
User avatar
Posts: 2256

  • Reply
Re: Terror Threat in UK Raised Sep 25, 2010
:)

I agree RC! :alien:
shafique
Dubai Shadow Wolf
User avatar
Posts: 13442

  • Reply
Re: Terror Threat in UK Raised Sep 25, 2010
Oh, what did I say about the deflection?

I sure called that.

Equally expected is your bizarre fantasy that heightened terror threats emanating from Irish terrorists should be taken more seriously than threats to security from Islamic terrorists.

Now you seem to be justifying the arrests of six men for the 'crime' of posting a video on the internet where they allegedly burnt a Koran or two - you even refer to them as 'fascists'. Wow!

Where I come from, the authorities' actions would be considered fascistic. In fact, you seem unaware of what the term 'fascist' means by using it incorrectly to describe the individuals arrested.
event horizon
UAE, Dubai Forums Lord of the posts
User avatar
Posts: 5503

posting in Dubai Politics TalkForum Rules

Return to Dubai Politics Talk