Head of MI6: threat of an attack in the UK is “without precedent”

Head of MI6: threat of an attack in the UK is “without precedent”
Alex Younger takes anti-terrorism abroad


The Jihadist group Islamic Sate and the war in Syria pose an “unprecedented” threat of an attack in the United Kingdom, was the warning issued by the head of British foreign intelligence, Alex Younger. “The threat level is unprecedented. British intelligence and security services have foiled 12 terrorists plots in the UK since June 2013,” was the statement made in a rare interview with the press by the head of MI6, the powerful and ultra-secret foreign intelligence service of Her Majesty the Queen.

“As we speak, Daesh’s ultra-organized structure for planning attacks abroad, even while facing a military threat, is plotting to commit violent acts against the United Kingdom and our allies, without even having to leave Syria.”  

“We will not be safe from the threat from this region until the civil war ends,” he emphasized, while the level of terrorist alert in the UK has been set at “severe” since August 2014, which is the fourth on a scale of five levels. 

Faced with this threat, “we cannot raise the drawbridge. We must take the fight to where the enemy is, infiltrating the terrorist organizations upstream, being as close as possible to the source,” explained Mr. Younger.

“In football terms, we have to strive to always be playing in the opponent’s half of the field.”

Alex Younger, a former member of the military who joined MI6 in 1991 and gradually climbed the institutional ladder, also mentioned the impact that Donald Trump’s election could have on the “special relationship” between London and Washington.

“I am often asked what effects the great political changes of 2016 – Brexit, the results of the US election – may have on these relations.”

“My answer, what I foresee, what I expect, is continuity. These are relations established a long time ago and the personal links between us are strong,” added the man with the alias of “C” in reference to a letter in which the head of MI6, Sir Mansfield Cumming, approved organizational guidelines.

(Source: Belga)


Copyright © 2024 The Brussels Times. All Rights Reserved.