MI5 boss warns 'we cannot stop every UK terror threat'
Source: bbc.com
Comment: A a high price to pay for diversity!
Security has been increased at UK ports and border controls after the deadly attack in Paris
The threat of a terror attack in the UK is increasing and the security services cannot be expected to stop every plot, the head of MI5 has warned.
Speaking after the attack on the French magazine Charlie Hebdo, Andrew Parker said police and MI5 had "stopped three UK terrorist plots" in recent months.
He said the number of Britons who have travelled to Syria was now around 600.
It comes as security has been increased on the France/UK border following the Paris attack, which left 12 dead.
UK border staff have "intensified checks on passengers, on vehicles and goods coming from France" as a precautionary measure, Home Secretary Theresa May said.
Meanwhile, a huge manhunt for the two suspected gunmen in Wednesday's deadly attack on Charlie Hebdo magazine has entered its third day.
Speaking about the threat of terrorism, Chancellor George Osborne said: "My commitment is very clear. This is the national priority. We will put the resources in. Whatever the security services want, they will get."
He told BBC Breakfast financial support had already been given in the past few weeks, with more than £100m going to the monitoring of people travelling to conflicts in Syria and Iraq.
'Cannot be complacent'
Mr Parker, speaking at MI5's headquarters, warned the UK was facing "more complex and ambitious plots" by extremists.
Andrew Parker
The shootings in Paris were "a terrible reminder of the intentions of those who wish us harm," he said.
It comes after a number of anti-terrorism operations in the UK in recent months, including three foiled plots in the last three months.
"Deaths would certainly have resulted otherwise," Mr Parker added.
"But we cannot be complacent. Although we and our partners try our utmost we know that we cannot hope to stop everything."
He stressed the UK was not facing an "unmanageable crisis" however, saying "different styles and shapes of terrorism" had been "faced down" for more than 40 years.
Mr Parker said: "The going is getting tougher but there are good reasons for confidence in our enduring ability to respond. It's well-understood that we can't guarantee to stop everything, but we continue to strive to get as near to that as we can."
Read the rest: bbc.com
