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UK raises terrorism threat level to 'severe'

Iran Press TV

Tuesday, 03 November 2020 6:43 PM

Following terrorist attacks in France and Austria, the UK has raised its terror threat level from "substantial" to "severe", which indicates that the security apparatus believes a terrorist attack is now "highly likely".

The decision to raise the threat level has been taken by the Joint Terrorism Analysis Center (JTAC), which is housed inside the headquarters of the British Security Service (MI5).

According to multiple reports in the British media, JTAC's decision to raise the terror threat level was materially influenced by Monday night's (November 02) terrorist attack in Vienna (Austria), in which four people were killed.

Taking to Twitter the UK's hardline Home Secretary, Priti Patel, wrote that the measure is "precautionary" and not based on any "specific" threat.

Echoing that appraisal, Sky News' defense and security correspondent, Alistair Bunkall, tweeted that a "security source" had told him there is no "specific" threat to the UK but recent attacks in Europe have felt "different in tactic and tempo".

Bunkall wrote further that that the British security apparatus had been operating at the top of "substantial" for some time and that it wouldn't take much to "nudge" the UK into the "severe" category.

"Vienna was that nudge", Bunkall added.

Meanwhile, the BBC's home affairs correspondent, Dominic Casciani, wrote that while there is a sense of "inevitability" about the raising of the terror threat, nevertheless intelligence plays a part in the process.

According to Casciani, available intelligence on "known suspects" targeting the UK and a "wider analysis" of how international events interact with their intentions, informs the British security apparatus's decision on the threat level.

JTAC operates five terror threat levels with "severe" constituting the second-highest.

Above "severe" is "critical" which indicates an attack is thought to be highly likely in the near future.