RUSSIA and Iran are on a mission to cause "mayhem" in Britain, the head of MI5 has warned.
Enemy spies, assassins and terrorists pose the "most complex" threat to the UK in decades, with an increase in arson, murder, kidnap and sabotage conspiracies, Ken McCallum said.
The spy chief, left, admitted Britain's security service had "one hell of a job on its hands" as he revealed a resurgent Islamic State and Al-Qaeda are again plotting UK atrocities.
Mr McCallum warned “organised groups have the numbers and the knowhow to carry out, or inspire, horrendous mass casualty attacks". The intelligence chief warned Vladimir Putin's spies are on a "sustained mission to generate mayhem on British streets".
Speaking at the counter-terrorism operations centre in West London yesterday, he said: "The UK's leading role in supporting Ukraine means we loom large in the fevered imagination of Putin's regime, and we should expect to see continued acts of aggression here at home." He said Moscow's GRU intelligence agency, responsible for the Novichok poisonings in Salisbury in 2018, is "on a sustained mission to generate mayhem on British and European streets - we've seen arson, sabotage and more".
He added they were "dangerous actions conducted with increasing recklessness", adding: "And having precisely the opposite effect to what the Russia state intends, in driving increased operational coordination with partners across Europe and beyond".
Mr McCallum said the GRU'S sabotage was done "in the misguided hope of weakening Western resolve".
Britain's top intelligence officer also warned: "While you'll recognise the headline themes of terrorism, Russia, Iran and China from previous speeches, the shifts underneath present the most complex and interconnected threat environment we've ever seen.
"It will be clear to you that MI5 has one hell of a job on its hands.
Challenge
Esta historia es de la edición October 09, 2024 de Daily Express.
Comience su prueba gratuita de Magzter GOLD de 7 días para acceder a miles de historias premium seleccionadas y a más de 9,000 revistas y periódicos.
Ya eres suscriptor ? Conectar
Esta historia es de la edición October 09, 2024 de Daily Express.
Comience su prueba gratuita de Magzter GOLD de 7 días para acceder a miles de historias premium seleccionadas y a más de 9,000 revistas y periódicos.
Ya eres suscriptor? Conectar
TOUGH GLOVE
Pope has to keep wicket despite his struggles to find batting form
HILL'S XMAS BONUS
Constitution on the mend
Animal characters can boost child development
ANIMAL characters such as Peter Rabbit can boost children's psychological development, according to a study.
Gran fined £500 for leaving donation beside charity bin
A STUNNED grandmother received a £500 fine for fly-tipping after leaving a bag of neatly folded clothes by a full donation bin.
Jet crash linked to Kremlin plots
SECRET services were yesterday probing a DHL cargo plane crash in Lithuania, which killed the pilot, after recent Russian sabotage operations involving bombs left at warehouses - including in the UK.
Rees-Mogg applies to Slash trees at mansion over neighbours’ fears
FORMER Tory minister Sir Jacob Rees-Mogg says he must fell more than a dozen trees at his historic mansion amid safety fears.
Horror ride survivors relax in paradise
A COUPLE'S blissful smiles show the Alton Towers Smiler tragedy had served only to unite them as they honeymoon in the Maldives.
'My baby's been shot'
Mum's frantic screams after gunman fires into family car
Letby boss's 'best intentions'
LUCY Letby's former boss insists the decisions she made \"were done with the best intentions\".
'Farmers mired in mud, red tape, crippling costs and unfair competition'
FARMERS are facing a \"perfect storm\" of challenges following Labour's inheritance tax raid, MPs and campaigners have warned.