The British intelligence agency MI5 has raised the terror threat level in Northern Ireland from “substantial” to “severe” – meaning an attack in the future is “highly likely.”
The UK has five terror threat levels, including:
• “Low”: an attack is highly unlikely
• “Moderate”: an attack is possible, but not likely
• “Substantial”: an attack is likely. Notably, this is the UK’s current national threat level
• “Severe”: – an attack is highly likely
• “Critical”: – an attack is highly likely in the near future
According to Northern Ireland Secretary Chris Heaton-Harris, the decision to change the threat level was taken by MI5 without the input of ministers.
“MI5 has increased the threat to Northern Ireland from Northern Ireland Related Terrorism from ‘SUBSTANTIAL’ (an attack is likely) to ‘SEVERE’ (an attack is highly likely),” he said in a written statement to the House of Commons.
“The public should remain vigilant, but not be alarmed, and continue to report any concerns they have to the Police Service of Northern Ireland.”
He said that Northern Ireland “transformed” into a “peaceful society” over the past 25 years with the advent of the Good Friday Agreement.
“However, a small number of people remain determined to cause harm to our communities through acts of politically motivated violence,” he said.
“In recent months, we have seen an increase in levels of activity relating to Northern Ireland Related Terrorism, which has targeted police officers serving their communities and also put at risk the lives of children and other members of the public. These attacks have no support, as demonstrated by the reaction to the abhorrent attempted murder of DCI Caldwell.”
The Secretary paid tribute to “the tremendous efforts” of the PSNI for “making Northern Ireland a safer place to live and work.”
“The political future of Northern Ireland rests with the democratic will of the people and not the violent actions of the few,” he said, adding: “Together we will ensure there is no return to the violence of the past.”