activity where there are no links to either Northern Ireland-related or international terrorism. The remaining arrests were Northern Ireland-related (five) and unclassified (30).
Security Minister Ben Wallace said police and security services "have been clear that we are facing a shift rather than a short-term spike in the terrorist threat".
He added: "The statistics we are publishing today demonstrate the breadth of work that they undertake, alongside the rest of the criminal justice system, day in and day out to keep us safe. But this is not the totality of our work. The whole of society must come together to challenge the terrorist threat. The public must remain alert but not alarmed and report any suspicions they have about unusual activity or behaviour to the appropriate authorities."
Counter-terror agencies believe the scale of the threat facing the country is unprecedented. “Britain was hit by five attacks between March and September, while authorities are mounting more operations to disrupt suspected terrorist planning.” Home Secretary Amber Rudd disclosed earlier this week that MI5 and police have now thwarted 22 militant plots since the murder of Lee Rigby in May 2013. “This includes nine which have been foiled since the Westminster atrocity in March.” The number of "live" operations being run by MI5 and police has surged by a third since the beginning of this year to well over 500. These probes involve around 3,000 "subjects of interest", while there is a further pool of more than 20,000 individuals who have previously been investigated. Earlier this week, an official assessment revealed the ringleader of the London Bridge rampage was being "actively" investigated at the time of the atrocity.
It also found that the Manchester bombing in May could have been stopped "had the cards fallen differently". MI5 has also claimed two days earlier that two suspected terrorists were arrested who have been planning to kill PM Theresa May. The suspects are under investigation.