MI5 chief warns of growing threats from Iran, far-right terrorism and AI
MI5 chief Ken McCallum said operations against terrorism and state threats are now roughly equal in scale. He reported 50 arrests over Iran-linked activities in the past year, warned of rising far-right terrorist intent and announced a new centre to assess AI threats.
bbc.comMI5 chief warns of threats to UK from Russia, Iran and AI
theguardian.comFar-right and Iran add to mix of terror threats UK faces – not to mention AI
State threats and Iran
MI5 director general Sir Ken McCallum said operations to tackle terrorism and state threats are now roughly equal in scale. In his annual threat update, he warned that rising threats from states were not accompanied by diminishing terrorist threats.
McCallum said there had been 50 arrests over Iran-linked activities in the past year. He said much of Iran’s aggression had targeted Jewish communities, with ambitions also extending to “harder targets, like military sites”.
Seven people have been arrested and bailed following an incident involving three suspicious vans near RAF Fairford. Prime Minister Andy Burnham said it was “almost certainly” directed by Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard. McCallum did not address the arrests directly in his speech but later told reporters that Iranian interest extended beyond the airbase.
Rising far-right terrorist intent
The UK’s terrorism threat level was raised to severe in April, meaning an attack is highly likely. McCallum said Al Qaeda and Islamic State continued to direct and inspire attacks, while extreme right-wing terrorism also contributed significantly to the increased risk.
He described the past year’s most marked trend as an increase in cases where extremist anti-immigration and anti-Muslim grievances were “tipping into terrorist intent”. He said far-right terrorism tended to involve younger people and was driven by the internet.
McCallum said a recent MI5 investigation into a radicalised 13-year-old in the UK generated intelligence that helped an international partner prevent a lethal attack.
Assessing AI risks
McCallum said terrorists had sought to use AI to improve reconnaissance and attack methods, and warned that the technology could produce propaganda tailored to individuals. He said the bioweapons threat from AI was “not yet realised”, but had the potential to change the stakes.
He announced an MI5 AI Threat Assessment Centre to assess sources and “separate the bluster from the realities”. He also said MI5, GCHQ and MI6 were working with the UK’s AI Security Institute on the risks.
