Across the Channel, intelligence services are sounding the alarm about the risks of multiple malicious foreign interference. This Tuesday, October 9, at the end of the day, MI5 boss Ken McCallum in fact accused Moscow of wanting to cause “chaos” in the United Kingdom and the rest of Europe via its military intelligence agency GRU.
Last year, the number of investigations into acts perpetrated by hostile states, sometimes through criminal groups or intelligence agencies private, increased by 48%. “We are now faced with state-sponsored plots to commit assassinations or acts of sabotage against the backdrop of war on European soil,” Ken McCallum said in a speech at the Counterterrorism Operations Center.
Iran, under close surveillance
In addition, the head of the domestic intelligence service warned of the intensification of “plots” supported by Iran. This, “at an unprecedented rate and scale” on British soil since 2022, constituting “potentially lethal threats” to its citizens and residents. “Accusations” brushed aside by Tehran this Wednesday.
The spokesperson for the Iranian Ministry of Foreign Affairs notably denounced in a press release the “repetitive accusations” made over the last two years by the British security official, whom he did not name, at the same time accusing London of welcoming “terrorist” groups who take advantage of freedom of expression to promote violence. He also called on the UK to reconsider its political stance towards “the Iranian nation and West Asia”.
In his speech on Tuesday, the head of the British intelligence services also said he was “very aware of the risk that events in the Middle East could directly provoke terrorist action in the United Kingdom”. Even more so as the military escalation between Israel on the one hand, Iran and Hezbollah on the other, accelerates. Also, in the United Kingdom, the terrorist threat has been raised to “substantial”, the third highest level on a scale of five.
Minors, targets of small far-right groups
Two terrorist entities particularly worry British intelligence: Al-Qaeda and the Islamic State group, which has “resumed its efforts to export terrorism”, specifies Ken McCallum. But not only that, small far-right groups represent a significant threat. According to him, more and more minors close to these movements are being investigated for terrorism.
And the intelligence boss deplores that “13% of people investigated by MI5 for their involvement in terrorism in the United Kingdom are under 18 years old”. Or “a three-fold increase over the last three years”. For him, there is no doubt: the internet is the “main factor” of this increase. “Far-right terrorism in particular heavily targets young people with propaganda that shows a keen understanding of internet culture,” he warned.