Met Police chief says jihadi attack is a case of ‘when, not if’
Sir Bernard-Hogan Howe's warning comes in wake of atrocities in Europe
BRITAIN’s top cop has today warned that another terror attack happening in the UK is a case of “when not if” – and says even the 600 armed police are not enough to stop an atrocity happening in our country.
Metropolitan Police chief Sir Bernard Hogan-Howe said there is a growing “sense of fear that Britain will be the next victim of a terrorist attack” – and could not reassure the public that it wouldn’t happen here.
The police boss’ warning follows a wave of terror attacks across Europe including in major cities such as Ansbach and Nice, as well as small towns such as Saint-Etienne-du-Rouvray.
Speaking in today’s, Sir Bernard said: “We have all watched the recent terrorist atrocities unfold with a terrifying and depressing sense of horror and dread.
“I know that with each new outrage, and especially those on our doorstep on the Continent, there is a greater sense of fear that Britain will be the next victim in this wave of mindless mass murder.
“I feel and understand that fear, and as the police officer in charge of preventing such an attack, I know you want me to reassure you. I am afraid I cannot do that entirely…an attack is highly likely – you could say it is a case of when, not if.”
The police chief claims that following the co-ordinated terror attacks across Paris last November, the Met began working to increase the number of specially trained armed cops able to deal with a terrorist attack 24 hours a day from 600 to 2,800.
Europe, France and Germany in particular, has recently been hit by a spate of barbaric terror attacks, with 84 people being killed when a 19 tonne cargo truck was deliberately rammed into families along the beachfront in Nice as they celebrated Bastille Day.
Just days later priest Father Jacques Hamel savagely had his throat cut by 19-year-old extremist Abdel Kermiche as he gave mass in his church in the Normandy town of Saint-Etienne-du-Rouvray.
The UK’s terror threat level has been at “Severe” for two years and remains at that level now.
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The last attack on our shores was the horrific murder of Fusilier Lee Rigby who was cut down with knives and a cleaver by Michael Adebolajo and Michael Adebowale as he walked down a street near his barracks in Woolwich on May 22, 2013.
Despite being able to reassure Brits, the Met’s top cop says police and MI5 have foiled a number of terror attacks planned for the UK since then – including plans for jihadis to murder officers leaving Shepherd’s Bush police station to walk their beats.
Another plot involved a British-based terrorist planning to carry out a Lee Rigby-style attack on US soldiers based in East Anglia using a car and knives to murder the servicemen and detonate a bomb.
Sir Bernard added: “The relationship between MI5, MI6 and our police is a world-beater. It has given us an advantage in intelligence and ultimately foiling plots. My team at Scotland Yard co-ordinates the national police effort across the country, working with specialist hubs in other regions.
“In short, we have a professional, joined-up, national network of intelligence-led investigations.
“Our gun controls and the simple fact we are an island mean that terrorists in the UK would struggle to get the firearms required to repeat attacks similar to those we have seen on the Continent.”
If you see anything suspicious, call the Anti-Terrorist Hotline on 0800 789321 or 101, or in an emergency dial 999.
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