Britain's MI5 intelligence agency warns of growing attacks from Russia and Iran, as war in the Middle East continues
M15 director general Ken McCallum says there has been a rise in assassination attempts and other crimes by Russia and Iran on UK soil.
In short:
Britain's MI5 intelligence agency director general says Russia is trying to create "mayhem" in the UK
Ken McCallum says the UK is experiencing a rise in assassination attempts and other crimes by Russia and Iran.
Mr McCallum says the war in the Middle East could see threats increase.
The head of Britain's MI5 intelligence agency says Russia is trying to create "mayhem" in the UK, while Iran increases its number of "potentially lethal" plots on UK soil.
MI5 director general Ken McCallum said Britain was experiencing a staggering rise in assassination attempts and other crimes by Russia and Iran, with these countries allegedly recruiting criminals to "do their dirty work."
Middle East conflict leads to concerns
In a public speech on the major threats to the UK, Mr McCallum said authorities had responded to 20 Iranian-backed plots since January 2022, which could have been deadly.
Since 2017, MI5 and the police have disrupted 43 late-stage plots, saving "numerous lives", according to Mr McCallum.
He warned that the ongoing conflict in the Middle East, which has brought Israel and Iran to the brink of all-out war, could see the threats increase.
Mr McCallum says the ongoing conflict in the Middle East could lead to an increase of threats.
While the threats have so far been aimed at Iranians who oppose the country's authority from abroad, Mr McCallum said there was a risk of a "broadening of Iranian state aggression in the UK".
Mr McCallum said a combination of hostile states, radicalised individuals and a revived Islamic State has created "the most complex and interconnected threat environment" the agency had ever seen.
He also cited Israel's conflicts with Iran-backed terrorist organisations such as Hamas, Hezbollah and Yemen's Houthis as a potential trigger for attacks in Britain.
Russia allegedly attempting to create 'mayhem'
Mr McCallum said Russia’s military intelligence agency was trying to use “arson, sabotage and more” to create “mayhem” on the streets of Britain and other European countries.
Both Russia and Iran often turned to criminals, “from international drug traffickers to low-level crooks,” to carry out their illegal deeds, he said.
Several alleged state-backed plots have led to criminal charges.
In December, a Chechen man was jailed for allegedly carrying out reconnaissance on the offices of a dissident Iranian broadcaster in London.
Separately, several suspects are awaiting trial in London over an alleged Russia-linked plan to attack Ukrainian-owned businesses.
M15 has 'one hell of a job on its hands'
The director general said the number of state-threat investigations undertaken by MI5 had risen by 48 per cent in the past year, with the main perpetrators being Iran, Russia and China.
In 2022, Mr McCallum labelled China's assertive position as Britain's greatest "strategic challenge" and these concerns have also been echoed by other UK intelligence chiefs.
He said "online hatred, conspiracy theories and disinformation" had also seen young people become increasingly involved with terror organisations, while there were signs that Islamic State was attempting a comeback.
Germany and Sweden have also accused Moscow and Tehran over similar accusations around spying and planned attacks.
Twenty-two people died in a suicide bombing suicide at an Ariana Grande concert in 2017.
In 2022, MI5 was criticised for its failure to stop a suicide bombing that killed 22 people at an Ariana Grande concert in Manchester.
Britain's current terror threat level is at substantial, which sits at the middle of a five-point scale.
"The first 20 years of my career here were crammed full of terrorist threats," Mr McCallum said. "We now face those alongside state-backed assassination and sabotage plots, against the backdrop of a major European land war."
MI5, he said, had "one hell of a job on its hands".
By：https://www.abc.net.au/news/2024-10-09/britain-m15-agency-warns-grwoing-attacks-from-russia-iran/104450846(责任编辑：admin)
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