U.K. Terrorist Threat Level Expected to Rise for Olympics
The security threat in the U.K. has been downgraded from “severe,” meaning a likely attack, to “substantial,” meaning a strong possibility of an attack. “Substantial” is the third level on a five level scale. According to the Telegraph, this is the same level as a potential terrorist attack from Irish terrorists.
Theresa May, Home Secretary, said according to the Telegraph: “The change in the threat level to substantial does not mean the overall threat has gone away - there remains a real and serious threat against the United Kingdom and I would ask the public to remain vigilant.”
The Joint Terrorism Analysis Centre, independent of ministers and adaptive based on recent intelligence reports, is responsible for the decision to change the threat level.
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It is expected that the threat level will rise to “severe” for next year’s Olympic Games.
The Home Office in the U.K. believes that successful pressure on al-Qaida, particularly in the Waziristan region as well as the death of Osama bin Laden, has contributed to the lower risk in the U.K.
July 2009 was the last time the threat level was reduced in the UK. However, the level was quickly raised to “critical” 6 months later after Umar Farouq Abdulmutallab attempted to use explosives in his underwear to blow himself up on a trans-Atlantic plane.
“The operational capability of al-Qaida’s leadership is now less than at any time since 11 September 2001. Many have been killed, captured, or dispersed. Communications, training and planning have been significantly disrupted,” the U.K. Home Office document stated.
“The death of Osama bin Laden on 2 May 2011 is a significant blow against Al Qaida. It has further disrupted Al Qaida operations and decision making and will leave a gap which it will not be possible for the Al Qaida leadership to effectively fill.”
The document also notes that “Terrorism poses the greatest security threat to the (Olympic) Games.” It also outlined preparation for the “largest ever peacetime” security operation in U.K. history.
Post 9/11, much of the threat the U.K. has received comes from terrorist groups based in Pakistan. Western militants, or directed by Pakistani jihadist groups, have been responsible for 53 percent of terrorist plots since 2004, according to CNN.
According to the document, the U.K. has one of the most significant radicalization problems in Europe:
“Significantly more people were arrested in France and the U.K. for Islamist terrorist offences than in any other country.”
However, the Home Office revealed good news in that the number of arrests on suspicion of international terrorism in the U.K. in 2010 (76 total) was half as low as the 2009 arrests (155 total).
This indicates that the U.K. is making some progress when it comes to reducing the spread of Islamist extremism within its borders.
