Britain raised its terror threat assessment on Friday from “substantial” to “severe,” the second-highest level, suggesting an attack on the country is “highly likely,” British Home Secretary Alan Johnson said.
The change was announced just weeks after a failed plane bombing in the US and days ahead of two major international conferences on Yemen and Afghanistan in London.
“The Joint Terrorism Analysis Centre [JTAC] has today raised the threat to the UK from international terrorism from substantial to severe,” Johnson said, referring to the assessment unit within the MI5 intelligence agency.
“This means that a terrorist attack is highly likely, but I should stress that there is no intelligence to suggest than an attack is imminent,” he said.
In a television statement shortly afterwards, Johnson refused to say whether the amended threat assessment — to four in a five-level scale — was linked to the failed Detroit plane bombing on Dec. 25.
“We never say what the intelligence is,” he said, adding: “It shouldn’t be thought to be linked to Detroit or anywhere else for that matter.”
But a US official, who requested anonymity, said “that’s the implication.”
The US Department of Homeland Security said the announcement brought Britain in line with US security measures introduced “over the last few weeks.”
Johnson said the JTAC “looks at all factors and no one should draw any assumptions from this,” adding that the higher threat level meant Britain put “more resources in, we heighten the state of vigilance.”
In a statement issued by his office, he said that the threat level, which has been made public on MI5’s Web site since August 2006, was kept “under constant review.”
The JTAC “makes its judgments based on a broad range of factors, including the intent and capabilities of international terrorist groups in the UK and overseas,” he said.
Johnson said Britain continues to face a “real and serious threat” from international terrorism and urged the public to remain vigilant.
The threat level was last at “severe” on July 20 last year, when it was downgraded to substantial, suggesting an attack remains a “strong possibility.”
British Prime Minister Gordon Brown on Wednesday reiterated the threats the country faced as he unveiled new security measures sparked by the attempt to blow up a US airliner flying into Detroit, which has been claimed by al-Qaeda.
“We know that a number of terrorist cells are actively trying to attack Britain and other countries,” he told lawmakers in the House of Commons.
Brown said the “crucible of terrorism” was based on the Afghan-Pakistan border, but noted how the failed Detroit attack also highlighted the threat posed by militants in Yemen.
The alleged bomber, Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab, had reportedly trained in Yemen. He had also studied in London for three years.
Britain has organized a meeting to strengthen international support for Yemen in its efforts against al-Qaeda, to take place in London on Wednesday, the day before a high-level conference on Afghanistan.
Nearly half of China’s major cities are suffering “moderate to severe” levels of subsidence, putting millions of people at risk of flooding, especially as sea levels rise, according to a study of nationwide satellite data released yesterday. The authors of the paper, published by the journal Science, found that 45 percent of China’s urban land was sinking faster than 3mm per year, with 16 percent at more than 10mm per year, driven not only by declining water tables, but also the sheer weight of the built environment. With China’s urban population already in excess of 900 million people, “even a small portion
UNSETTLING IMAGES: The scene took place in front of TV crews covering the Trump trial, with a CNN anchor calling it an ‘emotional and unbelievably disturbing moment’ A man who doused himself in an accelerant and set himself on fire outside the courthouse where former US president Donald Trump is on trial has died, police said yesterday. The New York City Police Department (NYPD) said the man was declared dead by staff at an area hospital. The man was in Collect Pond Park at about 1:30pm on Friday when he took out pamphlets espousing conspiracy theories, tossed them around, then doused himself in an accelerant and set himself on fire, officials and witnesses said. A large number of police officers were nearby when it happened. Some officers and bystanders rushed
Beijing is continuing to commit genocide and crimes against humanity against Uyghurs and other Muslim minorities in its western Xinjiang province, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said in a report published on Monday, ahead of his planned visit to China this week. The State Department’s annual human rights report, which documents abuses recorded all over the world during the previous calendar year, repeated language from previous years on the treatment of Muslims in Xinjiang, but the publication raises the issue ahead of delicate talks, including on the war in Ukraine and global trade, between the top U.S. diplomat and Chinese
HYPOCRISY? The Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs yesterday asked whether Biden was talking about China or the US when he used the word ‘xenophobic’ US President Joe Biden on Wednesday called for a hike in steel tariffs on China, accusing Beijing of cheating as he spoke at a campaign event in Pennsylvania. Biden accused China of xenophobia, too, in a speech to union members in Pittsburgh. “They’re not competing, they’re cheating. They’re cheating and we’ve seen the damage here in America,” Biden said. Chinese steel companies “don’t need to worry about making a profit because the Chinese government is subsidizing them so heavily,” he said. Biden said he had called for the US Trade Representative to triple the tariff rates for Chinese steel and aluminum if Beijing was