Russian spies have been attempting to cause “mayhem” on British and European streets, the head of the UK’s domestic intelligence agency has warned.
Ken McCallum, the director general of MI5, outlined the threats to the UK from states and militant groups in a rare speech in London overnight.
He argued that hostile states, radicalised individuals and a revived Islamic State group have combined to create “the most complex and interconnected threat environment we’ve ever seen”.
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McCallum said Russia’s military intelligence agency was trying to use “arson, sabotage and more” to create “mayhem” on the streets of Britain and other European countries.
Both Russia and Iran often turn to criminals, “from international drug traffickers to low-level crooks,” to carry out their illegal deeds, he said.
Several alleged state-backed plots have led to criminal charges.
Last December, a Chechen man was jailed for allegedly carrying out reconnaissance on the offices of a dissident Iranian broadcaster in London.
Separately, several suspects are awaiting trial in London over an alleged Russia-linked plan to attack Ukrainian-owned businesses.
Britain is not alone in pointing a finger at Moscow and Tehran.
Germany has arrested several people for allegedly spying or planning attacks on behalf of Russia.
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In May, Sweden’s domestic security agency accused Iran of using criminal networks to target Israeli or Jewish interests in the Scandinavian country.
The number of state-threat investigations undertaken by MI5 has risen by 48 per cent in the past year, with Iran, Russia and China the main perpetrators, McCallum told journalists at the UK’s counterterrorism command centre in London.
He also said there were worrying signs that the Islamic State group is attempting a comeback, despite the collapse of its self-declared caliphate in Iraq and Syria several years ago.
The UK’s official terror threat level stands at “substantial,” the middle of a five-point scale, meaning an attack is likely, and McCallum said that since 2017, MI5 and the police have disrupted 43 late-stage plots, saving “numerous lives”.
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