There is an elevated threat to British Jews and Israeli institutions in the UK following the conflict in the Middle East, MI5 has warned, following a decision to raise the terror threat level from substantial to severe.
The decision to raise the level was taken by the Joint Terrorism Analysis Centre (JTAC), an arm of MI5, yesterday after the stabbing of two Jewish men in Golders Green, London.
In a brief published on Friday, the domestic security service MI5 said the UK has been experiencing a gradual increase in terrorist threats for some time, driven by a rise in both Islamist and Extreme Right-Wing terror.
It said that the current threat was also characterised by an “elevated threat to Jewish and Israeli individuals and institutions, in the context of the conflict in the Middle East, evident in recent incidents in the UK and overseas”.
MI5 warned that “we are also seeing a sustained and significant tempo of State-linked threats, including to Jewish and Israeli individuals and institutions”. They said that the decision to raise the threat level had been taken after the stabbing attack in north London but was not solely as a result. The Golders Green stabbings are the latest in a series of attacks on Jewish sites since the outbreak of the Iran war and have prompted accusations that the government has not done enough to tackle antisemitism.
“Severe” is the second-highest threat level and means attacks are highly likely in the next six months. The last time it was this high was in November 2021 after the bombing outside Liverpool Women’s Hospital and the murder of Sir David Amess.
It was then lowed to back to substantial in February 2022. MI5 also said that the current UK threat was influenced by a “significant volume, breadth and complexity of terrorist incidents and cases across various ideologies, including attack planning, extremist travel intent, and online and offline radicalisation”.
Lord John Mann, the government’s independent adviser on antisemitism, has said that the level rising was “inevitable”, adding that the recent string of attacks followed a “sustained hostility to people in the Jewish community”.
Sir Mark Rowley, the Metropolitan Police Commissioner, said on Friday morning that 300 extra police officers are needed across London to deal with a growing “pandemic” of antisemitism in the UK.
He said he was concerned about his ability to sustain the uptick in policing in Jewish communities, saying: “I hope we get some resolution on the funding conversations with government imminently”.
Asked about what people should do in reaction to the threat level being raised, Sir Mark told LBC radio: “It’s two things. There’s the practical about being alert, so don’t be alarmed, don’t be afraid, but be alert and help us by giving us information.”
Speaking about the impact of the threat level rising, counterterrorism analyst and former director of security for Iran International TV, Roger Macmillan, said: “What you will potentially see is more overt policing. More policing in key areas, especially ones that they are designated as a potential risk area.
“What we don’t see is where the work really takes place: security services, international partners, and our own police forces, especially the counter-terrorism policing, what they do in the background, which is, you know, the unseen, long, thankless hours of slog, keeping us safe.”
Dr Hans-Jakob Schindler, senior director at the Counter Extremism Project, said that a good argument could be made for raising the threat level earlier. He said the increase in threat level would “free up resources”, adding: “It makes it into an emphasis, the government has also decided to protect Jewish sites. It’s a focusing of the security services’ minds and resources on that issue. People are expecting something else will happen.”
He said the UK faces threats from different areas, explaining: “You still have the Russians, which are a very significant threat. You still have the generally radicalised Islamists because of the conflict in the Middle East. It’s coming from all sides, you have of course the violence of the left-wing extremists. It’s been a while since it’s been that complex and now you have this added Iran threat.
“The UK is not alone, there is the same situation in France, Germany and other European countries”.
