Irish-related terror threat increased

An Irish-related terror attack is a “strong possibility” after the security service raised the threat level from moderate to substantial, according to the Home Office.

This is the first time an Irish-related threat assessment to Great Britain has been published. The Home Secretary said this is in the interests of transparency and to encourage people to remain vigilant.

The threat from international terrorism remains severe.

Theresa May said: “The director-general of the Security Service has informed me that he has raised the threat from Irish-related terrorism from moderate to substantial, meaning that an attack is a strong possibility.

“ Judgments are based on a broad range of factors, including the intent and capabilities of terrorist groups.”

The system of threat levels aims to keep the public informed about the risk of terrorism at any given time and is designed to help the police and other law enforcement agencies decide how to allocate staff.

“The first and most important duty of government is the protection and security of the British people. We have been consistent in stating that the threat to the UK from terrorism is real and serious.

“The balance we aim to strike is keeping people alert but not alarmed. I would urge the public to report any suspicious activity to the police and security services in their continuing efforts to discover, track and disrupt terrorist activity,” the home secretary added.

The Security Service (MI5) is responsible for setting the threat level from Irish-related terrorism, both in Northern Ireland and in Great Britain, whilst the Joint Terrorism Analysis Centre (JTAC) is responsible for setting the threat level from all international terrorism.

There are five levels of threat ranging from critical – an attack is expected imminently – to low, which means an attack is unlikely.