UK downgrades terror threat from severe to substantial

Britain has downgraded its national terrorism threat level from “severe” to “substantial’’, the lowest level in five years.

Armed British police officers sin London. Picture; AFP.

Britain has downgraded its national terrorism threat level from “severe” to “substantial’’, the lowest level in five years.

On Monday, the Home Secretary Priti Patel said the national terrorism threat had been changed but warned there was still “a high level of threat” and said an attack could occur without further warning.

She added: ”Despite the change in the threat level, terrorism remains one of the most direct and immediate risks to our national security.

“Government, police and intelligence agencies will continue to work tirelessly to address the threat posed by terrorism in all its forms.’’

The decision to lower the threat was made before ISIS leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi was killed in an attack by US forces.

On two occasions in 2017, the threat level was at its highest - “critical’’ meaning an attack was highly likely to occur. In that year there were four terror attacks on British soil, including the London Bridge atrocity which claimed the lives of Australians Kirsty Boden and Sara Zelenak, and the horror of the Manchester bombing outside an Ariana Grande concert.

But the downgrading of the threat level to the third highest category, means that the threat of an attack is at its lowest since August 2014.

A separate level for Northern Ireland has remained at severe.

The head of counter terrorism at Scotland Yard, Neil Basu said there was about 800 live counter terrorism investigations and 24 plots had been derailed since the Westminster attack in March 2017.