Northern Ireland terrorism threat level rises

The terrorism threat level in Northern Ireland has been raised from substantial to severe, meaning an attack is highly likely.

The move, based on an MI5 intelligence assessment, follows a rise in dissident republican activity, including a recent gun attack on a top police officer. It reverses a downgrade in Northern Ireland's terror threat level last March - its first change for 12 years.

It was announced by Northern Ireland Secretary Chris Heaton-Harris. MI5, the UK's Security Service, is believed to review the threat level every six months. The terrorism threat level remains substantial in the rest of the UK, meaning an attack is a strong possibility.

Threat levels are designed to give an indication of the likelihood of a terrorist attack and there are five rankings ranging from low to critical. Severe is one level below critical, meaning an attack is expected imminently.

Vigilance urged

In a written statement to MPs, Mr Heaton-Harris said: "The public should remain vigilant, but not be alarmed, and continue to report any concerns they have to the Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI)." PSNI Chief Constable Simon Byrne said the force would "relentlessly pursue those who seek to cause harm and terrorise our communities, and attack my officers and staff".

The chairman of the Police Federation for Northern Ireland, Liam Kelly, said the escalation of the threat level was justified and that no one should be surprised. Mr Kelly added that it might be reasonably asked why the level was downgraded to substantial in March. "It was clear dissident republican groups were still actively wedded to causing murder and destruction," he said.

In February Det Ch Insp John Caldwell was shot several times by two gunmen as he was putting footballs into his car boot having been coaching a youth training session in Omagh. The 48-year-old father of one remains in a critical condition in hospital. The attack was admitted by the New IRA, the biggest and most active group dissident group, whose main areas of operations are in Londonderry and County Tyrone.

The group was formed in 2012 and previous security assessments estimated it had about 500 supporters, some 100 of whom are prepared to commit acts of terrorism. On Tuesday, the PSNI's Terrorism Investigation Unit said it had recovered "a quantity of ammunition" during a planned search operation into the New IRA in Ballymagroarty in Derry. It was put on the back foot by several successful security operations run by MI5, leading to the first reduction in the terrorist threat level in Northern Ireland in a decade.

A number of suspected members of the group were arrested after MI5 bugged two alleged meetings of the New IRA's executive in 2020. But after a lull in activity the New IRA re-emerged in November with a bomb attack on a police patrol car.  Three months prior to February's attack on the police officer, the New IRA set off a roadside bomb in Strabane, County Tyrone, as a police car drove past, but neither of the two officers inside was injured. Both attacks showed that after a number of years on the back foot, the organisation remains dangerous.

SOURCE: BBC