The UK’s current threat level has increased from substantial to severe, indicating the likelihood of a terrorist attack in the UK is highly likely with the public urged to “be alert, but not alarmed”
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The public have been told to “be alert, but not alarmed” after the terror threat level was raised to “severe” by British authorities.
The update comes after the stabbing of two Jewish men in north London and marks the first time in five years that the UK’s terror threat level has been raised from “substantial” to “severe”.
A severe threat level – the second highest of five terrorism threat levels – means an attack is considered highly likely in the next six months.
British prime minister Keir Starmer said Jewish people were living in fear and vowed stronger action to protect them, with counter terrorism policing chief Laurence Taylor warned people to remain vigilant after what he described as “an elevated threat to Jewish and Israeli individuals and institutions in the UK” after the attack in Golders Green this week, reports Sky News.
Speaking on Thursday, Mr Taylor said the country had seen a “gradual increase in terrorist threats for some time”, which he claims has been “driven by a rise in both Islamist and extreme right-wing terrorism”.
The threat levels in Britain are set by the Joint Terrorism Analysis Centre and the Security Service (MI5).
Officials said the classification change came against a spate of recent attacks in London and mounting security concerns linked to foreign states which they said had helped fuel violence, including against the Jewish community.
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