Trump and Netanyahu’s wars in the Middle East have elevated threat to British Jews, MI5 warns
MI5 has warned of an increasing threat to British Jews and Israeli institutions in the UK following the conflict in the Middle East, following its decision to raise the terrorist threat level from serious to serious.
The decision to raise the level was taken by the Joint Terrorism Analysis Center (JTAC), an arm of MI5, following the stabbing of two Jewish men in Golders Green, London, yesterday.
The UK has been experiencing a gradual increase in terrorist threats for some time due to a rise in both Islamist and Far-Right terrorism, the internal security service MI5 said in a briefing published on Friday.
The current threat is also described as “an increasing threat to Jewish and Israeli individuals and institutions in the context of conflict in the Middle East, evident in recent events in the UK and abroad.”
“We are seeing a sustained and significant pattern of State-related threats, including against Jewish and Israeli individuals and institutions,” MI5 warned. The Golders Green stabbings were the latest in a series of attacks on Jewish sites since the start of the Iran war, leading to accusations that the government is not doing enough to combat antisemitism.
Former translator Essa Suleiman was charged with two counts of attempted murder and one count of possession of a bladed article in a public place in connection with the incident. On Thursday evening it emerged that Suleiman had been in the care of the South London and Maudsley Trust mental health services earlier this week.
He was also charged with a separate count of attempted murder in connection with a separate incident in Southwark, south-east London, on Wednesday.
“Severe” is the second-highest threat level and means there is a high likelihood of an attack within the next six months. The last time it was this high was in November 2021, following the bombing outside Liverpool Women’s Hospital and the murder of Sir David Amess.
It was later downgraded to significant in February 2022. MI5 also said the current UK threat was affected by the “significant volume, breadth and complexity of terrorist incidents and incidents across a range of ideologies, including attack planning, extreme travel intent and online and offline radicalisation”.
Lord John Mann, the government’s independent adviser on antisemitism, said the rise in levels was “inevitable”, adding that the latest attacks followed “ongoing hostility towards people in the Jewish community”.
300 extra police officers are needed across London to deal with the growing “epidemic” of antisemitism in the UK, Metropolitan Police Commissioner Sir Mark Rowley said on Friday morning.
He said he was concerned about the ability to sustain an increase in policing in Jewish communities, saying: “Hopefully we can reach a resolution soon with the government on funding talks.”
Asked what people should do in the face of rising threat levels, Sir Mark told LBC radio: “It’s two things. There’s a practical side to being vigilant, so don’t panic, don’t be afraid, but be alert and help us by giving us information.”
This is an evolving story. More to follow…
