Al-Qaeda plotting attack on Britain

From the Telegraph

After the Charlie Hebdo attack, the head of MI5 warns of a Paris-style atrocity on UK soil. Andrew Parker, the Director General of the Security Service, warned that the threat of a “mass casualty attack” was growing and that intelligence pointed to the existence of specific plots. Security was stepped up yesterday at British ports, and armed police were put on patrol at the Eurostar terminal at London’s St Pancras station. 

Mr Parker warned that although three terrorist plots had been foiled in recent months, it was almost inevitable that one would eventually succeed. 

MI5 officers have increased surveillance of British fanatics who they fear may launch copycat attacks, after 12 people were slaughtered by al-Qaeda gunmen at Charlie Hebdo magazine in Paris. Intelligence has shown that the Syrian arm of a resurgent al-Qaeda is planning similar outrages against the UK, possibly by British jihadists who have already returned from fighting in Syria or Iraq. They include plans to blow up a passenger jet; Mumbai-style shootings in crowded places; or even hit-and-run attacks using vehicles. 

Mr Parker said the number of random “crude and potentially deadly” plots from “lone wolf” extremists was increasing. In a stark warning, he said: “Although we and our partners try our utmost, we know we cannot hope to stop everything.” 

Mr Parker said the attack was a “terrible reminder” of the intent of Islamist extremists to harm the West. In only his second speech since being appointed in 2013, he said that while Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (Isil) was still a key worry, the threat from al-Qaeda remained.

He said: “We still face more complex and ambitious plots that follow the now sadly well-established approach of al-Qaeda and its imitators: attempts to cause large-scale loss of life, often by attacking transport systems or iconic targets.” It is understood that the threat to the UK comes from the “Khorasan” cell, an al-Qaeda offshoot made up of veteran jihadists sent to Syria by Ayman al-Zawahiri, the terrorist organisation’s leader. It is likely to include British fanatics.

Speaking to members of the Royal United Services Institute (Rusi) at MI5 headquarters, Thames House, Mr Parker said the terrorist threat to the UK was “complex to combat and unlikely to abate for some time”. He said it was now believed that about 600 British jihadists were either in Syria or had returned, up from the previous estimate of 500. He described Isil as a “terrorist phenomenon of the modern age” and said that in recent months three UK terrorist plots which would have led to deaths had been foiled