MI5 chief Andrew Parker warns of Islamist threat

[cronus]

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-24454596

MI5 chief Andrew Parker warns of Islamist threat to UK public

Thousands of Islamist extremists in the UK see the British public as a legitimate target for attacks, the director general of MI5 has warned.

Andrew Parker was making his first public speech since taking over as head of the UK Security Service in April.

Al-Qaeda and its affiliates in Pakistan and Yemen present "the most direct and immediate threats to the UK," he said.

He added that the security services must have access to the many means of communication which terrorists now use.

Mr Parker was addressing the Royal United Services Institute in Whitehall.

'Not perfect'
Threats to the UK are growing more diverse and diffuse, he said, but warned: "It remains the case that there are several thousand Islamist extremists here who see the British public as a legitimate target."

He explained that "knowing of an individual does not equate to knowing everything about them".

"Being on our radar does not necessarily mean being under our microscope," he said.

"The reality of intelligence work in practice is that we only focus the most intense intrusive attention on a small number of cases at any one time.

"The challenge therefore concerns making choices between multiple and competing demands to give us the best chance of being in the right place at the right time to prevent terrorism."

Mr Parker added: "We are not perfect, and there are always things we can learn, do better and sharpen up on."

With 30 years in MI5, Mr Parker was previously deputy director general and before that director of its counter-terrorism division at the time of the London bombings in 2005.

(continued)

[Audley Strange]

In other news... Scientists were shocked today to find that 2+2+4

[JimC]

In other news... Scientists were shocked today to find that 2+2+4

equals 8?

[pErvinalia]

That's not very shocking. I think the shock was that it's possible to add more than two numbers at a time.

[cronus]

The authorities need to do something before anything happens. They are all over the place once they've self-detonated.

[JimC]

One possibility.

For every islamic attack on a non-military target in a western country, a mosque is bulldozed...

[Tyrannical]

Recognizing the problem is always the first step. Now lets see if anyone but the EDL is willing to suggest a tenable solution.

[DaveDodo007]

Yay, Captain obvious at MI5, except it isn't really a terrorist threat we have to worry too much about as we have 3 million muslims in this country and they can't even recruit half a dozen to shoot up a shopping centre, which the hardest part would be getting hold of the guns. The government must be either planning to raise taxes or more controlling laws. There is a problem with UK muslims and most of it would be solved by banning the burka and getting rid of misogynistic Sheria courts and telling them to stop being so fucking sensitive but that would lose them votes.