Britain's counter-intelligence and security agency MI5 has issued warning that British men and women, mostly in their teens are being radicalised by Islamic extremists to the point of violence to be expected within weeks. They have also seen a distinct overlap between Islamic suspects and those within mental health problems, which makes them easier to groom.
The scale of the domestic threat was revealed after Andrew Parker became the agency's first director-general in its 106-year history to give a live broadcast interview. He said that Intelligence officials had foiled six plots in the last year, appealing to the internet giants to help in the fight. He said, “Most of the people who were born and brought up here, have come through our education system and have nonetheless concluded that the country- their home country and the country of their birth- is their enemy.” A new analysis suggests that the number of suspects being monitored has risen by more than 50 per cent since 2007. Most of those under suspicion have never been to Syria but have fallen under the influence of the organisation's online propaganda. About 1,000 Britons are thought to have joined jihadist groups in Syria, 300 have returned and 70 have been killed fighting in Syria and Iraq since 2011.
Parker's radio address comes weeks before the government's due to bring a new set of investigatory powers bill before the parliament which outlines how intelligence agencies are allowed to operate and propose a wider and rigorous scrutiny of their work. The bill will follow a series of reviews and reports in recent months, including the comprehensive paper produced by David Anderson, QC, the reviewer of anti-terrorism laws. Parker said his agency would welcome the new approach, “It’s important that from time to time legislation is updated so that we’re operating modern, straightforward law that describes transparently and as fully as it can what sort of thing MI5 does these days.” But also noted that the new laws would not be enough to win the battle against an enemy that used “secure apps smartphones in our pockets” to provoke terrorism.
He also cautioned that there was no guarantee that they could find and stop everything. “It is in nobody’s interests that terrorists should be able to plot and communicate out of the reach of any authorities ... I think there is a real question about whether companies holding information of that sort should ... come forward to the authorities and share and report it.” Anderson had also warned of the the jihadists digital reach based overseas in his annual report on anti-terrorism laws. “UK-based extremists are able to talk directly to [Islamic State] fighters and their wives in web forums and on social media. The key risk is that this propaganda is able to inspire individuals to undertake attacks without ever travelling to Syria or Iraq.” He had also mentioned the restrictions on the freedom of speech to be imposed by the new counter-extremism bill would risk “provoking a backlash in affected communities, hardening perceptions of an illiberal or Islamophobic approach, alienating those whose integration into British society is already fragile and playing into the hands of those who, by peddling a grievance agenda, seek to drive people further towards extremism and terrorism.”
