Islamist terror still biggest threat to UK national security: Home secretary

Islamist terrorism still poses the biggest threat to British national security, Home Secretary Suella Braverman will warn this week, the Sunday Times reported.

Braverman is set to announce a relaunch of the counterterrorism strategy Contest this week. According to the Contest review, which is launching on Tuesday, Islamist terrorism still accounts for three-quarters of the caseload at MI5.

Counterterrorism forces in the UK currently have around 800 live investigations and made 169 arrests for terror-related offenses in 2022, the Sunday Times report added.

In her speech, Braverman will say: “Islamist terrorism remains the predominant threat, terrorism is becoming increasingly unpredictable, making cases harder to detect and investigate.”

A Daesh-planned attack on a public gathering in the UK was foiled last month after the plot was uncovered by Iraqi troops who raided and killed dozens of militants in Iraq.

In an interview with the Daily Mirror, Gen. Abdul Wahab Al-Saadi, Iraq’s most senior counterterrorism officer, said Daesh was “talking to UK-based terrorists and we know what they are planning.”

He described the endeavor, which was to be carried out by UK-based British nationals, as “a big attack,” adding:

“I can tell you that from the information we found at the site of one of our recent raids the next intended (terrorist) attack will be in the United Kingdom.”