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 check the current level go to the MI5 website. The most significant terrorist threat comes from Al Qaida and associated networks.

Northern Ireland-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 spread, or proliferation of weapons of mass destruction (WMD) is another potential danger to the UK's security.

The threat from espionage (or 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

Jonathan Evans, the Director General of the Security Service, gave a speech at the Society of Editors' conference in Manchester on 5 November 2007 in which he provided an update on the terrorist threat and spoke about the need for perseverance and strategic thinking in our efforts to counter the threat from international terrorism.

Read the full text of the speech on the MI5 website.