October 9th 2024.
According to the director general of MI5, Ken McCallum, Russian spies have been causing chaos on the streets of Britain and Europe. In a rare speech in London, McCallum highlighted the various threats posed by hostile states and militant groups to the UK. He described the current threat environment as the most complex and interconnected one that has ever been seen.
McCallum specifically mentioned the attempts of Russia's military intelligence agency to create mayhem through tactics such as arson and sabotage. He also stated that both Russia and Iran often utilize criminals to carry out their illegal activities, ranging from drug traffickers to low-level criminals. In fact, there have been several cases where state-backed plots have led to criminal charges, including the recent imprisonment of a Chechen man for conducting reconnaissance on a dissident Iranian broadcaster's offices in London.
It's not just Britain that is pointing fingers at Moscow and Tehran. Germany has also arrested individuals for spying and planning attacks on behalf of Russia. Similarly, in May, Sweden's domestic security agency accused Iran of using criminal networks to target Israeli or Jewish interests in their country.
McCallum revealed that MI5 has seen a significant increase of 48% in state-threat investigations in the past year, with Iran, Russia, and China being the main perpetrators. This information was shared with journalists at the UK's counterterrorism command centre in London. He also expressed concerns about the resurgence of the Islamic State group, despite the collapse of their self-declared caliphate in Iraq and Syria a few years ago.
The official terror threat level in the UK is currently at "substantial," indicating that an attack is likely. McCallum emphasized that since 2017, MI5 and the police have successfully disrupted 43 late-stage plots, saving numerous lives in the process. It is evident that the threats posed by hostile states, radicalized individuals, and extremist groups are constantly evolving and require increased vigilance from the UK's security agencies.
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