THREAT TO THE UK FROM INTERNATIONAL TERRORISM

Members of the public should always remain alert to the danger of terrorism and report any suspicious activity to the police on 999 or the anti-terrorist hotline: 0800 789 321. If your information does not relate to an imminent threat, you can also contact the Security Service via the How You Can Help page.

Current threat level

The current threat level is assessed as CRITICAL (as of 10th August 2006).

This means that an attack is expected imminently and indicates an extremely high level of threat to the UK.

See Threat levels in the UK for more information on how our threat level system works.

The threat from international terrorism

International terrorism is one of the most serious national security threats that we face today. As the London terrorist attacks in July 2005 showed, an attack or multiple attacks may be mounted without warning.

The Government continues to maintain a state of heightened readiness in response to the threat. It remains the Government's policy to issue warnings or advice if this ever became necessary to protect public safety in the event of a specific and credible terrorist threat.

THREAT LEVELS: THE SYSTEM TO ASSESS THE THREAT FROM INTERNATIONAL TERRORISM

What are threat levels?

Threat levels are designed to give a broad indication of the likelihood of a terrorist attack. They are based on the assessment of a range of factors including current intelligence, recent events and what is known about terrorist intentions and capabilities. This information may well be incomplete and decisions about the appropriate security response are made with this in mind.

Together with the detailed assessments behind them, this analysis informs security practitioners in key sectors and the police of the potential threat of terrorist attack. Threat assessments are also produced as necessary for individuals and events. There are five threat levels which inform decisions about the levels of security needed to protect our Critical National Infrastructure (CNI).

• Low - an attack is unlikely
• Moderate - an attack is possible, but not likely
• Substantial - an attack is a strong possibility
• Severe - an attack is highly likely
• Critical - an attack is expected imminently