Forty-strong crack squad secretly flown to London after Nice atrocity over fears of ISIS attack in Britain
Theresa May orders security review after 84 killed in Bastille day attack
A TEAM of 40 SAS soldiers was flown into London within hours of Thursday's atrocity in Nice to provide an immediate response in the event of a terrorist attack.
The crack team is on standby at an RAF base ready for a potential follow-up attack by extremists.
Members of the military's Human Intelligence unit are also reported to be in London tracking suspicious behaviour in key target areas.
The Daily Mirror has reported a source saying: "So many of the people being followed, close to 100 jihadists in the UK, no longer use their mobile phone because they can be intercepted.
"This means any of them inspired by the Nice attack could launch an attack at a moment's notice and they will need to be neutralised very quickly."
Prime Minister Theresa May called an emergency meeting of Cobra and ordered an urgent security review following the "horrifying" attack on the French Riviera, which left at least 84 people dead.
Mayor of London Sadiq Khan also said he would be reviewing safety measures in light of the attack.
Special Forces teams have carried out a series of training exercises near Bristol in recent weeks.
The group, trained for all eventualities including hostage rescue, stopping speeding cars with sniper rifles and eliminating armed extremists, will provide support to police in the case of a terrorist attack.
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A senior source said: "The capability of UK special forces is immense, but they will only be used if police request their support.
"We know these people are likely to be wearing a suicide vest and so for weeks the teams have been on the range making sure they can hit the target in the head with one shot from several hundred yards."
French-Tunisian Mohamed Lahouaiej Bouhlel, 31, drove a 24-tonne truck lorry through crowds celebrating Bastille day. But, no terrorist links have been confirmed.
Paris prosecutor François Molins said Lahouaiej Bouhlel had been “completely unknown to both France’s domestic and foreign intelligence officials”.
He said: “Although yesterday’s attack has not been claimed, this sort of thing fits in perfectly with calls for murder from such terrorist organisations.”
Police forces across the UK have been asked to review security arrangements for major events over the next week in light of the attack.
Mrs May said Britain stood "shoulder to shoulder" with France following the attack and landmarks including the London Eye and the Palace of Westminster have been lit up in red, white and blue in a display of solidarity.
