MI5

Government & Politics

Khairi Saadallah: The missed opportunities to stop Reading attacker An inquest into the deaths of Joseph Ritchie-Bennett, James Furlong and David Wails heard six weeks of evidence from witnesses including probation and immigration officials, police and MI5 officers.

April 26, 2024   

(Sky News) When three men were stabbed to death in Reading’s Forbury Gardens on Saturday, 20 June 2020, Nick Harborne instantly knew Khairi Saadallah was responsible. “Something inside me just went cold,” he told Sky News. The chief executive of the Reading […]

Clerics & Preachers

Iran influence in London poses threat to British society, report warns Policy Exchange paper names Islamic Centre of England as 'UK nerve centre' for Tehran's campaign

April 14, 2024   

(National-UAE) Iran’s malign influence in the UK poses a “multidimensional threat to British society” with the government being urged to take urgent action to counter it, an influential think tank has stated. The paper, which was written before Iran’s missile attack on […]

Government & Politics

Injured survivors from Manchester Arena bombing suing MI5 The security service has previously apologised for failing to seize on a chance to thwart the attack, which killed 22 people and injured many more.

April 14, 2024   

(Sky News) The injured survivors of the Manchester Arena bombing are suing MI5, lawyers have said. It comes after the security service’s chief last year acknowledged a “slim” chance of thwarting the attack was missed, with 22 people killed and hundreds injured […]

Government & Politics

Khairi Saadallah: MI5 ‘triaged’ terrorist four times but Reading stabbings could not have been stopped, inquest hears Despite the amount of intelligence the security service had on Khairi Saadallah, a senior manager at MI5 said no 'proportionate actions' could have been taken that would have prevented the terrorist attack.

February 19, 2024   

(Sky News) MI5 “triaged” a violent offender four times before he carried out a terrorist knife attack and killed three men in a park in Reading, an inquest has heard. The agency received intelligence including threats by Khairi Saadallah to “blow himself […]

Interfaith

Report: Iran recruiting British Muslims on Middle East pilgrimages to spy on UK Jews UK newspaper says IRGC approaches Shiite Muslims visiting religious sites in Iraq, Iran, asks them to gather intel on prominent British Jews, synagogues, Iranian dissidents

February 10, 2024   

(Times of Israel) The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps is recruiting British Muslims on pilgrimages to Iran and Iraq to spy on Jews and Jewish targets in the United Kingdom, according to a Friday report citing Israeli and UK officials. According to the […]

Discrimination & “Islamophobia”

Spy chief says MI5 ‘absolutely alert’ to risk of UK terror attack amid Israel-Hamas war Ken McCallum also tells Sky News there is a 'sharpened concern' about multiple threats, from far-right antisemitism, Islamophobia, Islamist extremism, and rising state-level aggression — predominantly from China, Russia and Iran.

October 17, 2023   

(Sky News) The director general of MI5 has told Sky News his intelligence officers are “focused with particular intensity” on a growing risk of attacks within the UK following events in the Middle East. In a rare interview, Ken McCallum said: “Sadly, […]

Government & Politics

Suella Braverman says risk of terrorism ‘rising’ as review says Islamist terror is primary threat The Home Secretary Suella Braverman was speaking following [an] update to the government's counter-terrorism strategy, CONTEST. Islamist and right-wing extremism were highlighted as the two main threats in the UK.

July 18, 2023   

(Sky News) The risk from terrorism is “rising,” Home Secretary Suella Braverman has said. The cabinet minister was speaking as the government published a review of its counter-terrorism strategy, CONTEST, which has been updated for the first time in five years. Ms […]

Government & Politics

Al Qaeda and ISIS ‘planning attacks in the UK’ Home Secretary Suella Braverman set to warn the threat of terrorism is severe in Britain

July 16, 2023 and   

(National-UAE) ISIS and Al Qaeda are plotting attacks in the UK, the government is expected to warn on Tuesday. Home Secretary Suella Braverman will describe terrorism by Islamist extremists as “the predominant threat” facing British security in an update to Contest, the […]

Government & Politics

Manchester Arena bombing inquiry: Chairman raises concerns about slow uptake of recommendations to monitor security services Chairman Sir John Saunders has suggested ways to track the progress of MI5 and Counter Terrorism Policing including an unpaid check-up meeting by his inquiry team.

July 4, 2023   

(Sky News) There is no mechanism to make sure improvements have been made by MI5 after they made “mistakes” over the Manchester Arena bombing, the chairman of the inquiry has said. Sir John Saunders said there is no agreement on how to […]

Interfaith

Communal leader says he was warned by counter-terrorism officers of plot to murder him The man, who spoke to a newspaper anonymously, said he believes Iran, and its ruling Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), want to murder him

May 3, 2023   

(Jewish News) A respected communal leader has revealed he was warned by two counter-terrorism officers of a plot to assassinate him. The man, who spoke to the i newspaper with the agreement of anonymity, said the two officers had read out the […]

Government & Politics

Manchester Arena attack victim’s father intends to sue MI5 for failing to stop bombing Andrew Roussos, father to victim Saffie Roussos, said that the apology from MI5 came too late, and he wishes he could have his daughter back.

March 5, 2023   

(Sky News) The father of the youngest victim of the Manchester Arena bombing intends to sue MI5. Eight-year-old Saffie Roussos was one of the 22 people killed in the attack by suicide bomber Salman Abedi, 22, in May 2017. Now her father, […]

Context

UK terrorist police investigations ‘quadruple’ with Iran behind 15 plots 'Close calls' saw would-be attackers picking targets and gathering weapons when officers intervened

February 16, 2023   

(National-UAE) The number of investigations by UK counter-terrorism police into state threats has quadrupled in the past two years, with several “close calls,” a senior officer has said. Matt Jukes, head of counter-terrorism policing, described the workload as “unprecedented” and said it […]

Government & Politics

Iranian influence and threats growing in the UK, says security minister Hardline regime in Tehran has threatened to kill or kidnap 10 people in Britain this year

December 13, 2022   

(National-UAE) Britain is facing growing interference, threats and influence from state actors including Iran, security minister Tom Tugendhat has warned. Since 10 Iranian plots were revealed in November more incidents have come to light. Foreign meddling of this nature, he said, poses […]

Children & Teens

Independent agency probing CSIS after claim that operative smuggled teenage girls into Syria Minister of public safety requested independent review in September

November 24, 2022   

(CBC) An independent government agency is reviewing how Canada’s spy agency handles human sources after Prime Minister Justin Trudeau promised in August to follow up on claims that an ISIS member who was also working as a CSIS operative smuggled three British teenagers into Syria in 2015. The three […]

Academics & Education

Shamima Begum: Police and school ‘missed opportunities’ to stop her leaving UK, lawyers claim Questions have been raised over whether 'key indicators' that Ms Begum and her two school friends were at risk of being trafficked were missed.

November 22, 2022   

(Sky News) The police and her school missed opportunities to stop Shamima Begum travelling to Syria and joining ISIS and should have stopped her, according to her lawyers. There were questions about whether “key indicators” that Ms Begum and her two school […]

Children & Teens

Shamima Begum was sexually exploited by ISIS, appeal hearing told Ms Begum, now 23, left Britain with two friends from the Bethnal Green Academy in east London, who are thought to have been killed in the conflict.

November 21, 2022   

(Sky News) Shamima Begum, the jihadi bride, was trafficked by ISIS for sexual exploitation, her lawyers have told a hearing to appeal against her deprivation of citizenship. She launched her main appeal against the decision, with her lawyers telling a tribunal: “Shamima […]