The threats

The UK faces a range of covert threats to its security. There is a serious and sustained threat from international terrorism to the UK and UK interests overseas. The current threat level in the UK is assessed as SEVERE, which means an attack is highly likely. To find out more about UK national threat level, go to the MI5 website. The most significant terrorist threat comes from Al Qaida and associated networks.

Irish-related terrorism continues to pose a threat. Dissident republican terrorist groups, who have rejected the Good Friday Agreement of April 1998, continue to mount attacks in Northern Ireland and still aspire to mount attacks in Great Britain.

The threat from espionage (spying) against the UK did not end with the collapse of Soviet communism in the early 1990s. Several countries are actively seeking British information and material to advance their own military, technological, political and economic programmes.

Latest threat update

On 22 January 2010, the Joint Terrorism Analysis Centre (JTAC), which operates independently of Ministers, changed the UK threat level from international terrorism from SUBSTANTIAL to SEVERE.