Rightwing extremists increasingly likely to consider terrorist attacks, MI5 chief says
Move from anti-immigration or anti-Muslim views to violence is ‘most marked trend’ in spy agency’s caseload over last year
TL;DR
- Rightwing extremists are increasingly likely to consider terrorist attacks against immigration centres and asylum hotels in the UK.
- The shift from radicalised rightwing sentiment to violence is the most marked trend in MI5's caseload over the past year.
- Young people are particularly likely to gravitate towards extreme rightwing terrorism.
- Iran is expanding hostile activities in the UK, targeting harder sites like military bases and British Jewish communities.
- Russia remains 'aggressor number one,' engaging in assassination plots, explosive threats, and cyber-attacks.
- MI5 is focused on the risk of hostile states or terrorists using AI to generate new bioweapons.
- There is a concerning trend of violence targeted at political figures, religious, or community groups.