The terrorist threat in Britain has been considered severe since the arrest of the men allegedly plotting to attack transatlantic airliners in 2006 Photo: REUTERS From The Telegraph:
The terrorist threat in Britain is approaching critical as police and MI5 face an increase in activity by al-Qaeda militants, senior security officials have disclosed.
The threat level is at the "severe end of severe" according to sources who say the level of "chatter" among terrorist cells has increased in recent months.
The security services say they are now operating at full stretch to counter the elevated threat.
Britain's close relationship with the US has been particularly inflammatory after cross-border raids into Pakistan by American forces.
Security officials had considered downgrading the official threat level from "severe" but that plan has now been abandoned as a result of the increase in terrorist activity.
A senior counter terrorism source said: "We were looking at the threat level six months ago and asking how severe is severe? But it is October now and we are at the severe end of severe.
"Al-Qaeda's core exists on the Afghan-Pakistan border. The arrangement of people changes at a frighteningly rapid pace but they have enough people to replace them and there are people who are looking at us and at external operations, some at this country in particular.
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My Comment: This is an acknowledgement among some in the U.K. that they are losing in the war against terror. What do they know that analysts in Homeland Security USA do not.