Terror Information Brief
This page is intended to provide a basic background to current terror threats, primarily those facing the United Kingdom. After checking this page, feel free to proceed to the Resource Hub for further, and more specific, reading related to how you can better educate, act, or respond to acts of terrorism.
The current national terror threat level in the UK is substantial, and the threat to Northern Ireland from Northern Ireland-related terrorism is severe. It is widely accepted that the UK faces terrorism threats from three key areas, in addition to the ongoing threat from those acting alone, without any clear motive. This page will also look at the potential methods terrorists may employ in order to carry out their attacks.
If you are worried that someone you know may be being radicalised, call the National Police Prevent advice line in confidence: 0800 011 3764
If you believe you have heard or seen something suspicious that could help identify a terrorist threat anywhere in the UK, , call the Anti-Terrorism Hotline on 0800 789 321.
if you suspect an immediate danger, whether it’s suspicious behaviour, a package or a vehicle, move away and call 999 now.
Islamist terrorism
The threat from Islamist terrorism has increased and diversified in recent years, driven by events involving ISIS and Al-Qaeda in the Middle East and Africa. Attacks attempted against British citizens may be carried out directly by members of the group, such as the increasing number of returnees who have previously travelled to fight in Syria and Iraq, by other British citizens radicalised by hate preachers and extremist recruiters (so-called ‘homegrown terrorists’), or by those simply inspired to carry out attacks independently, with either a tenuous or no known direct link to the actual infrastructure of a terror cell.
Important to note is that not all Islamist activity involves direct planning of attacks, UK-based extremists often support terrorism by other means such as: radicalising individuals to either join the network or carry out an attack themselves; fundraising for or financing acts of terrorism across the globe; and, helping radicalised individuals to travel abroad or receive training. This drives home the need for all of us to be aware and informed on these issues, so that we are able to address not just the violent extremism, but also the individuals and groups that are aiding in their efforts.
Prominent examples of Islamist organisations include: Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (also known as Daesh, IS, ISIS, ISIL), Al-Qaeda, Boko Haram, Hamas, and the Taliban.
Extreme Right-Wing terrorism
“Extreme” and “Radical” Right-Wing terrorism are umbrella terms often used to describe the broad range of ideologically far-right wing motivations that may lead someone to carry out a terror attack; these include, but are not limited to: nationalism, fascism, antisemitism, islamaphobia, neo-nazism, and white supremacy. These are no new phenomenon, with the Ku Klux Klan in the USA an obvious historic example, and movements grew rapidly initially in Western Europe in the 1970s. However recent years have seen an increase in attention paid to the group, and according to Assistant Commissioner Neil Basu it presents the fastest growing threat within the UK, with notable attacks taking place in 2016 (Murder of Jo Cox), 2017 (Finsbury Park Mosque), and 2019 (Christchurch Mosque).
Prominent examples of extreme right-wing organisations include: Combat 18 (also known as C18, 318, affiliated with Blood and Honour), Atomwaffen Division (National Socialist Order, Sonnenkrieg and Feuerkrieg Division, Northern Order), Vanguard America, English Defence League, and the Ku Klux Klan.
Northern Ireland-related terrorism
Since the creation of Northern Ireland in 1921, many members of its population have traditionally referred to themselves as either unionist/ loyalist or nationalist/ republican, meaning they either wish to remain part of the United Kingdom or wish to unite with Ireland, respectively. Paramilitary organisations on both sides have carried out campaigns of terrorism, notably so during the Troubles; thirty years of conflict from the late 1960s onwards that resulted in over 3,000 deaths.
With the signing of the Good Friday Agreement in 1998, the Provisional Irish Republican Army and main loyalist groups ceased their terrorist campaigns and engaged with the political process. However some groups reject the peace process and wish to continue the use of terrorist acts in order to achieve their political goals, seeking to destablise or specifically target Police and Security Services; the three main dissident republican groups are the Continuity IRA, new IRA and Óglaigh na hÉireann. They continue to target Police Officers and Soldiers, and civilians can be included as collateral risk.
Prominent examples of Northern Ireland-related terror organisations include: Ulster Volunteer Force, Ulster Defence Association, Provisional Irish Republican Army (IRA), Irish National Liberation Army, and the Real Irish Republican Army.
The next section will briefly explore the potential methodologies terrorists may employ in order to carry out their attacks. Attackers may utilise any one or combination of these methods in order to commit these heinous incidents.
Please be aware that this section may contain content that is sensitive to some readers.
Improvised Explosive Devices (IEDs)
IEDs, or bombs as they are colloquially referred, are a commonly used methodology, and can be delivered in a number of ways, whether through attaching to vehicles, sending in the post, or in person. Historically, car bombs have been favoured by the IRA during the Troubles in Northern Ireland while in-person delivery, suicide bombing, has often been utilised by Islamist groups. Due to the ‘impovised’ nature of the explosives used by terrorists, devices can range in simplicity and intricacy from more rudimentary and crudely built ‘pipe bombs’ to larger, more complex devices.
Vehicle-Ramming
Vehicle-ramming incidents are an assault where the perpetrator deliberately drives their vehicle into a building, a crowd of people, or another vehicle in order to carry out or begin their attack. This type of methodology has grown to become a major terrorist tactic in the 2010s due to the fact that it requires very little planning or skill to perpetrate with potential to cause significant casualties of similar level to more sophisticated methods such as IEDs. Vehicle-ramming attacks are very often coupled with one or more of the other methodologies listed in this section.
Firearms and Close Quarters
Rifles, handguns and other firearms have been used in a number of attacks by groups with varying motives in recent years, in addition to bladed and other close quarters weapons. Islamist terror groups have orchestrated a number of these attacks around the world and dissident groups in Northern Ireland have also historically possessed and used firearms throughout the Troubles. Bladed weapons have grown in use for similar reasons to vehicle-ramming attacks - their availability and ease of use. Firearms have also been a common motif of the far-right, specifically in North America. When attacks of this kind involve the perpetrators moving from place to place, aiming to find and kill or injure as many people as possible before Police can respond, they are referred to as “marauding terror attacks” - specific guidance is available on how to prepare for this scenario.
Kidnapping
Islamist groups active in conflict zones around the world have sought to capture and kidnap Western nationals in order to use them for financial, through ransom, or propaganda gain. ISIS has infamously used this technique throughout the Middle East, producing and releasing videos of their acts in an attempt to spread fear and demonstrate strength over the west. Whilst ISIS has lost much of its territory on the ground due to ongoing miltary efforts, the threat from kidnapping still remains prevalent throughout the area, and parts of Africa.
Chemical, Biological, or Radiological Devices (CBR)
CBR refers to the threats faced from terror groups acquiring chemical, biological, or radiological materials for use in an attack. Fortunately, to date no such attacks have been committed within the United Kingdom, and conventional methods outlined above have been favoured due to the increased difficulty for them to attempt to acquire the means and expertise needed to carry out an attack of this kind. However there is precedence for extremists attempting to acquire or use such devices and so the threat remains; anthrax spores were mailed to media and political offices in the weeks following 9/11, and separatists in Chechnya have threatened to use nuclear materials in a terror attack on the Russian state.