Recent news reveals ongoing threats to the UK’s security, with foreign intelligence services seeking to wreak havoc on British soil. Ken McCallum, the Director General of MI5, the UK’s domestic intelligence agency, highlighted the role of Russia and Iran in trying to destabilise the country.
McCallum highlighted that Russia, due to London’s support for Ukraine, had intensified its hostile activities in the UK. British intelligence has encountered 20 Iranian-backed plots since January 2022, posing potentially lethal threats to British citizens and UK residents. Both foreign forces have also used criminals and private intelligence agents to carry out their actions on British soil.
The GRU, Russia’s military intelligence service, was cited by McCallum as being involved in missions to wreak havoc, including sabotage and arson in the UK. On Iran, McCallum warned of a surge in Iranian state-sponsored aggression on British soil, driven by ongoing events in the Middle East.
McCallum also highlighted an alarming rise in right-wing extremism among young people, with a significant increase in the number of children being investigated for terrorism. He highlighted that under-18s now accounted for 13% of those investigated by MI5, a three-fold increase in three years. This trend is believed to be largely fuelled by young people’s easy access to extremist content online, including through internet memes.
Finally, McCallum warned that the level of terrorism threat in the UK remained “substantial”, noting that Islamic State had stepped up its efforts to export terrorism and that investigations into plots involving hostile states had increased by 48% in the last year.
In summary, these revelations highlight the ongoing security challenges facing the UK, both domestically from foreign threats and through the online radicalisation of British youth. MI5 remains vigilant and mobilised to counter these threats and ensure the protection of UK citizens.