21 March 2024 | Threat Analysis, Threat Landscape
Author: Becca Stewart ASyI, Threat Analyst Read Time: 3 minutes Tags: On 14 March 2024, the UK Government announced a new definition of extremism. The new definition is “narrow and sharper” than its predecessor and will enable the government to publish a list of groups they deem to be extremist. The purpose of the definition is not to criminalise those groups, but would instead block certain groups from receiving government funding and meeting with government officials. The government also announced that a new counter-extremism centre of excellence has been...
15 January 2024 | Threat Analysis, Threat Landscape
Author: Oliver Hair ASyI,Threat Analyst Read Time: 3 minutes Tags: On 12 January 2024, an individual was sentenced to life in prison for plotting a “revenge” mass shooting at his former school in Worle, North Somerset. The individual was also convicted of weapons charges linked to the construction of homemade weapons including pistols, submachine guns, a shotgun, ammunition, Improvised Explosive Devices, and grenades. The individual had reportedly written a 1,700-word document outlining who he intended to murder, including teachers at his former school and...
19 December 2023 | Threat Analysis, Threat Landscape
Author: Oliver Hair ASyI,Threat Analyst Read Time: 3 minutes Tags: On 07 December 2023, the UK Home Office released statistics on the number of individuals referred to, and supported through, the Prevent programme from April 2022 to March 2023.[1] The Prevent programme is intended to stop people from becoming terrorists or supporting terrorism by tackling the ideological causes of terrorism, intervening early to support those susceptible to radicalisation, and enabling people to disengage and rehabilitate.[2] If a referred individual is considered at risk of...
06 December 2023 | Blog, Security
Tags: As the festive period approaches, it is important to remember that the UK faces a diverse and evolving terrorism threat. Among others, the 2016 Berlin Christmas Market and 2018 Strasbourg attacks act as a reminder of the intent of terrorist actors globally to conduct attacks targeting large crowds of people at this time of year. Terrorist actors in the UK maintain the intent and capability to conduct attacks during the festive period, indiscriminately targeting members of the public at publicly accessible and iconic sites. The UK terrorism threat level...
24 October 2023 | Blog, Threat Landscape
“It has always been the case that lots of would-be-terrorists in the UK draw inspiration through their distorted understanding of what is happening in other countries.” – Ken McCallum, Director General of MI5, 2023.[1] The current conflict between Israel and Hamas has raised concerns that the episodes of horror taking place in the Middle East could send shockwaves throughout Europe and the UK: encouraging protest, inspiring extremism, and motivating individuals to conduct acts of terror. In a rare interview on 17 October 2023, the Director General of MI5...
