UK terrorist threat level raised to 'severe'

[JoshuaD]

The UK terror threat level is being raised from "substantial" to "severe", Home Secretary Alan Johnson has said.

The new alert level means a terrorist attack is considered "highly likely". It had stood at substantial since July.

It is in response to the perceived increased threat from international terrorism following the failed Detroit airliner bombing on Christmas Day.

Mr Johnson stressed there was no intelligence to suggest a terrorist attack was imminent.

The decision to raise the threat level was made by the UK's Joint Terrorism Analysis Centre (JTAC).

THREAT LEVEL SYSTEM
Low - attack is unlikely
Moderate - attack is possible, but not likely
Substantial - attack is a strong possibility
Severe - attack is highly likely
Critical - attack is expected imminently

Mr Johnson said JTAC kept the threat level under constant review, making its judgments based on a broad range of factors, including the intent and capabilities of international terrorist groups in the UK and overseas.

He said: "We still face a real and serious threat to the UK from international terrorism, so I would urge the public to remain vigilant and carry on reporting suspicious events to the appropriate authorities and to support the police and security services in their continuing efforts to discover, track and disrupt terrorist activity."

Mr Johnson said the new level meant people needed to be "more aware".

The decision to raise the threat level was not specifically linked to the failed Christmas Day bomb attack on a plane bound for Detroit or to any other incident, he said.

He said the government would not reveal specific intelligence details.

The UK had not reached the highest threat level of "critical", which would mean an attack was imminent.

He added: "We have a very adept and very focused counter terrorism facility in this country, which consists of many police officers as well as security officers, so the public should be reassured by that."

There are five levels of terror threat, ranging from low - meaning an attack is unlikely - to critical - when an attack is expected imminently. Severe is the second highest level on the scale.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/8476238.stm

[Supreme]

I think this is a mixture of timing, threats from al Queda in Yemen and the new found capability of terrorists. But seriously, does anyone remember the recent terror attacks? The attempt by a man to blow up a shopping mall who only managed to inflict burns on himself? The attempt to capture and behead a Muslim in the British Army, which flopped so hilariously? Perhaps the most infamous, the excrutiatingly lacklustre 'attempt' of a plot that involved two doctors driving cars into Glasgow airport full of explosives whilst simultaneously leaving a couple of cars with nail bombs in London? The attack completely failed, leaving one terrorist dead and the other one with horrendous burns (who was incidentally punched to the ground by an employee).

There's no other place in the world where a burning terrorist would be punched to the ground by a man on a fag break than in Scotland. We should have taken a picture and put it on our border sign, saying 'Welcome to Scotland.'

Frankie Boyle

In conclusion, the only people terrorists actually seems to harm in Britain is themselves. I dunno if they do it out of terrorism or comedy.

[Cabdullahi]

attack is highly likely if their pondering on another inside job

[Blackpool]

attack is highly likely if their pondering on another inside job

That's the most ridiculous comment I've ever heard.

[Ummu Sufyaan]

i'll believe it when i see it

[Blackpool]

You can tell that they've raised the level. Iv just been to Preston railway station and its flooded with police and seem to be causing big hold ups. Im now on the train to Flixton to watch my local team and i can see 4 cops on this train. Something tells me the government knows something.

[Supreme]

Well apparantly the Government are just taking a wild guess, without any intelligence bar internet posts and al Queda threats.

[Raaina]

Maybe it's to do with the EDL Demo in Stoke today.

Actually, when I read this in the paper, there's something not quite right about how there is has been no intelligence to suggest something.

Why would you raise a terror threat for no apparent reason?

Well, then again, this is a Labour government, maybe they did just do it for no reason and we've all nothing to worry about

[Life_Is_Short]

I didn't see a single policemen in any of the central london train stations. I can speak for zone one but i don't know about others.

[Santoku]

As one who was two buses behind the one that blew up in London,guess what, I do take it seriously.

All it takes is one slightly less incompetent nut job you have got a street full of bodies.

[S<Chowdhury]

I didn't see any police officers yesterday or today on the tube, well i don't know if Community Police are categorised as Police lol, but they are always around during the peak hours.

[Cabdullahi]

That's the most ridiculous comment I've ever heard.

Its not more ridiculous than being told a suicide bomber went to McDonalds to eat beef burger before taking his life.

and if you believe that particular person ate haram beef burger and exploded himself to meet with Allah then i wouldn't use the word ridiculous but you are gullible.

I simply believe that if the government make contradictions about the sequence of events which is not inline with eye witness statements and they're withholding a public inquiry to take place then i either its two things they knew the threat was coming and they didn't do enough to stop it or they simply played a part in it.

if you can giwe mii another uption i vill be wery happy

[Eric H]

Greetings and peace be with you mystical_moon;

Why would you raise a terror threat for no apparent reason?

Because of guilt and fear, Britain had no just cause to be in Iraq, yet thousands have died, where do the relatives of all the victims go for justice?

Thousands have died in Afghanistan, were all these victims guilty of plotting
9 / 11?

The motives of both the USA and Britain to invade these countries, have to be questionable

In the spirit of praying for justice for all people

Eric

[Cabdullahi]

Greetings and peace be with you mystical_moon;



Because of guilt and fear, Britain had no just cause to be in Iraq, yet thousands have died, where do the relatives of all the victims go for justice?

Thousands have died in Afghanistan, were all these victims guilty of plotting
9 / 11?

The motives of both the USA and Britain to invade these countries, have to be questionable

In the spirit of praying for justice for all people

Eric

Thanks, you speak some sense

[Asiyah3]

Greetings and peace be with you mystical_moon;



Because of guilt and fear, Britain had no just cause to be in Iraq, yet thousands have died, where do the relatives of all the victims go for justice?

Thousands have died in Afghanistan, were all these victims guilty of plotting
9 / 11?

The motives of both the USA and Britain to invade these countries, have to be questionable

In the spirit of praying for justice for all people

Eric

It's nice to meet people who thinks justly and causally, and don't justify other's unjust deeds only for their one profits

Peace

[skatteress]

yes... i herad that on the news todfay... i cant belive it.. i have soo much things to say.. but if i did i think uwould fall i sleep! hehe

[Supreme]

I went into town today, there were perhaps six police officers there patrolling. Including a legendary one, who's around six foot four, has a moustache and carries an old fashioned truncheon on his belt as opposed to the more modern asp carried by most police officers. Legend.

[The_Prince]

You can tell that they've raised the level. Iv just been to Preston railway station and its flooded with police and seem to be causing big hold ups. Im now on the train to Flixton to watch my local team and i can see 4 cops on this train. Something tells me the government knows something.

the reason why preston's station was crowded with cops was because preston were hosting chelsea in an FA cup tie, and in FA cup ties, away fans are granted much more tickets.

[Blackpool]

the reason why preston's station was crowded with cops was because preston were hosting chelsea in an FA cup tie, and in FA cup ties, away fans are granted much more tickets.

Ah bingo. That didn't cross my mind at all despite me watching the game in Flixton beforehand... Duh.