World News
MI5 chief says agency devotes more resources to state threats than Cold War
McCallum said foreign threats have quadrupled and that terrorism and state-threat missions are now of roughly equal scale.
The short version
- MI5 chief Sir Ken McCallum said the agency is devoting more resources to countering state threats than during the Cold War.[BBC News]
- McCallum said threats from foreign adversaries have quadrupled and that MI5's terrorism and state-threat missions are now of roughly equal scale.[BBC News]
- McCallum said MI5 made over 50 arrests in the past year over Iran-linked activities, and he said a shift toward violence in radicalised rightwing sentiment is the most marked trend in its caseload.[The Guardian · BBC News]
Key facts
- MI5 is devoting more resources to countering state threats than during the Cold War, according to Sir Ken McCallum.[BBC News]
- McCallum said threats from foreign adversaries have quadrupled and that terrorism and state-threat missions are now of roughly equal scale.[BBC News]
- MI5 made over 50 arrests in the past year over Iran-linked activities, according to McCallum.[BBC News]
- McCallum said almost 1,000 expulsions since the invasion of Ukraine have severely reduced Russia's traditional covert footprint, leaving its global toolkit weak.[BBC News]
- McCallum said a shift from radicalised rightwing sentiment to violence is the most marked trend in MI5's caseload over the past year.[The Guardian]
- MI5 investigated a radicalised extreme right-wing 13-year-old in the UK, McCallum said.[BBC News]
What remains uncertain
- The quadrupling and 1,000-expulsion figures are McCallum's own characterisations and were not independently verified in the reporting.[BBC News]
Sources
Outlet counts describe coverage, not independent confirmation. Reports may share a wire service or original source.
- MI5 tackling more state threats than during Cold War, warns intelligence chiefBBC News - Top Stories
- Rightwing extremists increasingly likely to consider terrorist attacks, MI5 chief saysThe Guardian - World
- UK spy chief says Iran is stepping up targeting of military basesAl Jazeera
- Iran seeking 'harder targets' for attacks abroad, UK warnsDeutsche Welle
- Britain faces ‘new era’ of security threats from Iran and Russia, MI5 saysNBC News - Top Stories
- Iran focused on attacking "harder targets," U.K. spy chief warnsCBS News - World
- MI5 chief says Iran is targeting military sites and suspected plot at RAF Fairford is ‘not unique’Associated Press
- Far-right and Iran add to mix of terror threats UK faces – not to mention AIThe Guardian - World
- Spy chief says Iran targeting military sites, suspected plot at RAF base 'not unique’ABC News - International