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Russia & Iran on ‘sustained mission to generate mayhem’ in UK streets says as top spies foil 43 terror plots
Organised groups have the numbers and know-how to commit 'horrendous mass casualty attacks'
BRITISH spies have foiled 43 late-stage terrorist plots which have come within days of killing thousands since 2017, the head of the secret service has revealed.
Giving a rare public update on the threats facing the country, MI5 Director General Ken McCallum said his officers had caught dozens of plotters planning mass murder using bombs and guns.
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He also revealed that 20 Iran-backed assassination plots have been stopped on British soil since 2022.
The spy chief, who is the only member of the service who can be publicly identified, said that there is a resurgent threat from IS and Al-Qaeda, as they have “resumed efforts to export terrorism”.
He said the service “has one hell of a job on its hands” as they face threats from Islamic extremists, Russia, Iran, and China.
He said: “The first twenty years of my career here were crammed full of terrorist threats.
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“We now face those alongside state-backed assassination and sabotage plots, against the backdrop of a major European land war.”
Over the last month more than a third of MI5’s top priority investigations have had links to organised overseas terrorist groups.
It was a rare public appearance for McCallum, who took over the top job in 2020 having previously led the country’s response to the attempted assassination of Sergei Skripal in 2018.
Shockingly, he also revealed that 13 per cent of all those being investigated by spooks are minors - a threefold increase in the last three years.
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In part this is because of how the internet is connecting those across the world and leading to “deadly real world actions”.
Speaking from the Counter Terrorism Operations Centre in west London, McCallum said: “Extreme right wing terrorism in particular skews heavily towards young people, driven by propaganda that shows a canny understanding of online culture.”
He continued: “It's hard to overstate the centrality of the online world in enabling today's threats.
“In both Islamist extremist and extreme right-wing terrorism, lone individuals, indoctrinated online, continue to make up most of the threats. In dark corners of the internet, talk is cheap; sorting the real plotters from armchair extremists is an exacting task.
“Anonymous online connections are often inconsequential - but a minority lead to deadly real-world actions. We see this in recent convictions of British teenagers.”
Drawing attention to recent terrorist cases which have appeared in court, including two brothers from Birmingham who were jailed for trying to join ISKP in Afghanistan, he said: “These cases are not wild outliers. More will be coming through the courts.
“Organised groups have the numbers and the know-how to carry out, or inspire, horrendous mass casualty attacks.”
He stressed that “politics plays no part” in how they classify violent threats and whether or not we can call them terrorism.
'MIDDLE EAST COULD BE A TRIGGER'
Reflecting on the impact of conflict in the Middle East on the UK, saying “we are powerfully alive to the risk that events in the Middle East trigger terrorist action in the UK” but “thus far while our police colleagues have responded to rising public order, hate crime and community safety challenges, we haven’t – yet – seen this translate at scale into terrorist violence”.
McCallum revealed that the Russian spy agency the GRU is on a “sustained mission to generate mayhem on British and European streets” with “arson, sabotage and more”.
The spy boss issued a stark warning to anyone hired to do the bidding of foreign states, with many Iran-backed plots being carried out by proxies paid to target individuals.
He said: “If you take money from Iran, Russia or any other state to carry out illegal acts in the UK, you will bring the full weight of the national security apparatus down on you. It’s a choice you’ll regret.”
BRITISH SPIES ARE 'EXTRAORDINARY'
He paid tribute to MI5’s agents, repeating the words from a plaque that stands in the entrance to MI5’s HQ: “whilst their names must go unremarked, their courage and contribution never will.”
McCallum said: "Today I'd like to pay tribute to the brave people who from 1909 to the present day provide us with unique and life-saving insights.
"Insights of a colour, depth and detail that can illuminate a picture in a way that technical intelligence often cannot.
"So many of the plot disruptions we and the police together pull off have at their heart a critical contribution from human intelligence.
"Every single day, members of MI5 look in the eyes of courageous human beings working in secret, from Bristol to Belfast to Baghdad, and reiterate our commitment to their safety and security."
“They didn't arrive here following the legendary tap on the shoulder - I certainly didn't get one,” he said.
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“In many cases they're here because they saw a news story, or personally felt the impact of a threat, that drew them to an organisation with such a clear sense of purpose.
“So if you're reading or watching this and you're interested in a unique, challenging and rewarding career, visit the MI5 website today. As I've said before: it might change your life, it might save someone else's.”
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