London, Thanasis Gavos

A wide range of “complex and interconnected” security threats to the United Kingdom from foreign actors spoke in a rare public speech British security agency MI5.

Ken McCallum said Russia’s intelligence services are on a mission to cause “chaos” on British and European roads, while revealing that from 2022 20 designs have been dismantled that threatened national security supported by Iran.

This situation, characteristically said the British official, implies that “MI5 has a hell of a job to do».

Total since 2017 43 attack plans have been dismantled on British soil which were at an advanced stage, with some of the participants seeking to acquire firearms and explosives.

He noted that the bulk of his agency’s work is still on Islamist extremism, with al-Qaeda and especially ISIS re-emerging. Next in number are the cases of “extreme right-wing terrorism”. A large proportion of these threats arise from individuals who have become radicalized online.

“The first 20 years of my career here were filled with terrorist threats. Now we face these threats alongside state assassinations and sabotage plots, against the backdrop of a major war on European soilsaid Mr. McCallum.

He expressed particular concern about the increasing number of minors linked to terrorism. Reveal how 13% of roads are surveyed for involvement in terrorist plots is under 18, a rate three times higher than three years ago.