LONDON — Britain raised the country’s terror threat level from
substantial to severe Friday, meaning that a terrorist attack is
considered highly likely.
Home Secretary Theresa Mays(photo) said the decision to raise the threat
level was related to developments in Iraq and Syria, but that there was
no information to suggest an attack was imminent. Some of the plots are
likely to involve fighters who have traveled from 
Britain and Europe to
take part in fighting in the Middle East.
Britain and Europe to
take part in fighting in the Middle East.
“We face a real and serious threat in the U.K. from international
terrorism,” she said. “I would urge the public to remain vigilant and to
report any suspicious activity to the police.”
May says the decision by the Joint Terrorism Analysis Center is made
on the basis of intelligence and is independent of government. “Severe”
is the second-highest of five levels.
British police have appealed to the public to help identify aspiring
terrorists after the killing of an American journalist focused attention
on extremism in the U.K.
The involvement of a person of British nationality in James Foley’s
beheading underscored the need to identify those who might travel abroad
to fight or are at risk of being radicalized.
Authorities say around 70 arrests have been made in the first half of
the year for a variety of offenses, including fundraising, preparing
for terrorism acts and traveling abroad for terrorist training.
The
police say such arrests are being made at a rate five times greater than
2013.
The last time the rate was raised to severe was in September 2010 —
in response to the attempt to detonate a bomb on a U.S. passenger plane
over Detroit.
It was last at the highest level, or critical, in June
2007, after a car on fire was driven into the Glasgow Airport terminal
building and —separately — two devices were found
in cars in central
London.
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