UK Terror Threat Raised to Severe, Meaning Attack 'Highly Likely'

The UK government has announced that the country’s terror threat has been upgraded from “substantial” to “severe”. This means a terrorist attack is now considered “highly likely”, while it was previously considered “likely”.

The last month has seen a series of attacks in France, beginning when a teacher was killed after showing a cartoon of the Prophet Muhammad to his pupils.

The tragedy continued elsewhere in Europe last night, with a gun attack in Vienna, Austria, a country not previously targeted by Islamist terrorists.

Four people were killed and 17 more injured after gun attacks in six different locations across the city. According to The Guardian, “It is well established that terror attacks in one country encourage copy cats elsewhere,” the implication being that the likelihood of such an incident happening in the UK is now considered greater.

Last night’s attack took place the evening before Austria imposed new lockdown measures, meaning Vienna was particularly crowded, with many people enjoying their last opportunity to drink in bars and eat out in restaurants. Intelligence sources have said it’s unclear whether this timing was deliberate.

As the UK prepares to enter another lockdown on Thursday, UK Home Secretary Priti Patel tweeted: “The Joint Terrorism Analysis Centre has changed the UK terror threat level from substantial to severe. This is a precautionary measure and is not based on any specific threat. The public should continue to remain vigilant and report any suspicious activity to the police.”