UK terror threat lowered to 'severe'

UK terror threat lowered to 'severe' JAMES KIRKUP POLITICAL EDITOR

THE threat to the UK posed by terrorism was today downgraded from "critical" to "severe". The announcement, posted on the MI5 website, means an attack is still considered "highly likely". But in a statement, the Home Office said: "The intelligence assessment suggests an attack is no longer imminent." The change was made by the Joint Terrorism and Analysis Centre, based on the latest intelligence. The threat level had been rated as "critical" prior to a series of raids last week into the alleged plot to bomb transatlantic airliners. However, John Reid, the Home Secretary, yesterday warned that he believed radical Muslim groups will attempt a deadly attack in Britain despite the apparent success of the high-profile anti-terror arrests. As police continued to question 23 people accused of plotting to bomb US-bound airliners, Mr Reid made clear that the arrests had not removed or even significantly reduced the terrorist threat to the UK. In a BBC interview, Mr Reid also confirmed that, as The Scotsman reported on Saturday, MI5 and counter-terrorism police officers are monitoring dozens of cells believed to be at various stages of planning acts of violence. Ministers and officials are jubilant about the outcome of last week's operation - which followed months of surveillance - but they are also desperate to avoid giving the impression that the arrests have changed the wider security situation. Underlining that point, Mr Reid yesterday repeated earlier statements that at least four other major conspiracies have been disrupted in Britain since last summer, each with the capacity to cause mass casualties. MI5 estimates there are more than 1,000 people in Britain who are prepared to engage in terrorism. "We think we have the main suspects in this particular plot. On the basis of what we know, there could be others out there," Mr Reid said. "So the threat of a terrorist attack in the UK is still very substantial." The "nightmare scenario" being examined by MI5 and Scotland Yard is the plotters detained last week could have been working with other, unidentified radical groups who may yet try to stage suicide bomb attacks on Transatlantic flights. Mr Reid was asked about the "dozens" of networks the Security Service is tracking, and confirmed the scale of MI5's concerns. Bringing a successful criminal prosecution against those arrested last week will be a crucial test of the government's credibility on security matters. Some lawyers are concerned that some of the public comment about those detained - including statements by Mr Reid and the Treasury's decision to name 19 of them when freezing their assets - could prejudice any trial. Lord Goldsmith, the Attorney General, insisted ministers had not compromised the presumption of the suspects' innocence. He also echoed a request from Scotland Yard for the media not to publish information about those arrested. However, the Sunday Times yesterday reported one of those detained is effectively al-Qaeda's commander in Britain, a leading extremist linked to other terror plots. • Mr Reid also confirmed yesterday that he and other senior government ministers want to make a fresh attempt to raise to 90 days the time during which the police can hold a terror suspect without bringing charges. But he said the aftermath of an anti-terror operation was "not the right time" for the debate.This article: http://thescotsman.scotsman.com/uk.cfm?id=1182342006 Last updated: 14-Aug-06 02:02 BST