UK terror threat level is raised to ‘severe’ in wake of the Golders Green stabbings – meaning attack is ‘highly likely’

The UK’s terror threat level has been raised to ‘serious’ following a double stabbing in Golders Green.

Officials today announced that the threat of any form of terrorism to the UK has moved from “substantial” to “serious”, meaning an attack is now highly likely.

The Joint Terrorism Analysis Center (JTAC) decided to raise the level following a series of attacks on the Jewish community in recent weeks, culminating in the double stabbing of two Jewish men in Golders Green yesterday.

The threat level was last assessed as severe following the bombing at Liverpool Women’s Hospital in November 2021, when a failed asylum seeker detonated an improvised explosive device, killing himself and wounding a taxi driver.

In February 2022, independent JTAC experts decided to downgrade the terrorist threat to ‘significant’, meaning an attack is likely.

Despite a series of terrorist incidents, the threat level has remained unchanged over the last four years.

Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood announced that the terror threat level has been raised in the UK and urged people to ‘be careful’.

Ms Mahmood said: ‘Yesterday’s disgusting, anti-Semitic attack was a despicable act of terrorism.’ ‘My thoughts today are with the victims and the entire Jewish community at a time of deep concern and fear.

‘My deepest thanks to the volunteers and emergency services, some of whom I met today. Their actions saved lives and they are heroes and will forever be so.

‘Today the national threat level has increased to ‘severe’, meaning that the possibility of a terrorist attack is high.

‘I know this will be a cause for concern for many people, especially our Jewish community who have suffered so much.

‘The government today announced a significant increase in investment to protect our Jewish communities and record funding for policing and security in synagogues, schools and community centres. And we will do everything in our power to save society from the evil of antisemitism.

‘As the threat level increases, I urge everyone to be careful as they go about their daily lives and report any concerns to the police. And I can assure everyone that our world-class security services and police are working day and night to keep our country safe.’

Assistant Commissioner Laurence Taylor, head of the Counter-Terrorism Police, said police were seeing “an increasing threat to Jewish and Israeli individuals” amid an “unpredictable global situation”.

The news comes as the suspect in the Golders Green terror attack remains in custody being questioned on suspicion of attempted murder.

The government outlines five different threat levels of terrorist attacks. Moving to ‘Severe’ is the second highest level and means ‘there is a high probability of attack’.

The single level above is known as ‘critical’, which means ‘there is a high probability of an attack in the near future’.

JTAC works with MI5 in setting threat levels, which are reviewed regularly.

These are determined based on available intelligence regarding terrorist capacity, terrorist intentions, and the likely timeline for the next attack.

Threat levels are listed in five stages. Severe is the second highest level after critical; This means that an attack is expected soon.

Behind severe are significant (an attack is a strong possibility), then medium (an attack is possible but unlikely) and low (an attack is unlikely).

34-year-old Shloime Rand and 76-year-old Moshe Shine were allegedly stabbed by the knifeman, but their condition was stated to be stable after they were taken to hospital. The attacker also allegedly tried to stab another man in his attack in north London.

After today’s attack, citizens directed their anger towards politicians. Sir Keir Starmer was booed when he visited the scene in Golders Green today.

Crowds heckled the Prime Minister as he passed by, chanting slogans like ‘Keir Starmer, Jew destroyer’ and ‘traitor’.

Left-wing Green Party leader Zack Polanski was also scheduled to retweet a post claiming that heroic police officers who disarmed a terror suspect after stabbing two Jews had acted too harshly.

Speaking from his hospital bed today, Mr Rand revealed how he was stabbed in the chest and claimed it was a ‘miracle’ that he survived.

But he also claimed Sir Keir Starmer and his administration were ‘not doing their bit’ to protect Jews in the UK, who he said was ‘frightened’ and ‘uncomfortable walking down the street’.

Asked if he was disappointed by the government, he said ‘absolutely’.

He said: ‘The government, they are the ones who can deal with the problems. And they’re not doing their job.

‘People are really worried, people are afraid, people are uncomfortable walking on the street, people are openly accusing the government of not doing anything about what’s going on.’

Police confirmed that the suspect in Wednesday’s attack had previously been reported to Prevent, the Government’s counter-extremism programme.

Ms Mahmood said the 45-year-old British national was born in Somalia and came to the UK legally as a child in the 1990s.

The Metropolitan Police confirmed the suspect was referred to Prevent in 2020, but the case was closed the same year.

The level was first revealed to the public in 2006. Since then it has been mostly severe and has not fallen below the significant level.

The critical level occurred four times in a 20-year period.

It first became critical in August 2006, following a plot to detonate explosives on transatlantic flights.

The threat level then increased again following the attempted car bomb attack on Glasgow Airport in June 2007.

It was increased again in May and September 2017 following the Manchester Arena bombing and the attack on the Parsons Green District line respectively.

The UK’s rating was downgraded to serious a few days after the Parsons Green incident and remained at this level until it was downgraded to serious in November 2019.

The level was last leveled in November 2021, after two attacks within a month, with a car explosion outside a hospital in Liverpool on Remembrance Sunday and the murder of Sir David Amess, the Conservative MP for Southend West, in October.

In February 2022, it was downgraded to the significant level where it remains to this day.

JTAC reviews the terrorism level every six months but does not always raise it following attacks.

It considered raising the level to severe just a few weeks after its downgrade in November 2019 following the London Bridge Fishermen’s Hall attack, but kept it at the significant level.