There were no terrorist attacks in Great Britain this month. However, the Director General of MI5 warned that the recent withdrawal of NATO troops from Afghanistan would likely exacerbate the terrorist threat to the United Kingdom in future. He also revealed that four late stage terror plots had been interdicted since early 2020.
New Zealand experienced it’s first Islamist extremist bladed weapons attack when an asylum seeker under police surveillance attacked shoppers at a supermarket in New Lynn, injuring six. The country has subsequently introduced new counter-terror legislation to make it easier to prosecute individuals suspected of engaging in attack planning.
In France, the trial of 20 people involved in the 2015 Paris attacks commenced against the backdrop of heightened security across the country. The trial of individuals involved in the 2015 Charlie Hedo attack last year precipitated a further Islamist attack. Despite additional security measures, an increase in attack planning in the country is a realistic possibility in the near term.
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