TERROR ALERT: 3,000 Islamist extremists in Britain ‘ready to ATTACK the UK in weeks’

TERROR police are monitoring more than 3,000 homegrown Islamist extremists who are willing to carry out attacks on the UK, security sources have warned.

Terrifying numbers of British men and women – many of whom are still teenagers – are being radicalised and could stage attacks on home soil within weeks.

More than half of suspected Islamist extremists on watch lists live in London – particularly in the east and west. But there are other hotspots in the southeast, Manchester and the West Midlands.

The revelation comes as MI5 boss Andrew Parker revealed that Britain is currently battling the “highest number” of terror plots for more than 30 years. Mr Parker became the first MI5 director in the agency’s history to give a live broadcast interview in a bid to warn the nation that the UK is under constant threat of terror attacks.

He confirmed the UK’s security agencies are having to work harder than ever to protect Britons, following last last week’s revelation by David Cameron that secret services had foiled six terror plots over the past year. Mr Parker also revealed intelligence had disrupted a further nine attack plots overseas.