Technology drives surge in attacks targeting UK, police say

Threats to the United Kingdom from hostile states, far-right extremists and online radicalisation are escalating rapidly, senior British counterterrorism officials said Thursday at a briefing at New Scotland Yard, describing a "continual battle" that police say they cannot fight without help from technology companies.

Vicki Evans, head national coordinator for counter-terrorism at the Metropolitan Police, referred to threats from enemy nations as the "most rapidly escalating mission".

These were her references to various recent examples, including two Romanian nationals imprisoned in July for stabbing a journalist at the request of Iran’s government; a Ukrainian and Romanian national imprisoned in June for a fire plot as part of Russia’s sabotage against property owned by Prime Minister Keir Starmer; and a border official from the UK convicted in May of being a spy for China.

Evans said 2025 alone saw more than 20 Iranian-backed plots involving assassinations and kidnappings, while Russia has run a sustained campaign of surveillance and recruitment, including through apps like Telegram, to carry out vandalism and arson across Europe.

One London warehouse fire targeting equipment bound for Ukraine was linked to the Wagner Group, a Russian mercenary organisation designated a terrorist group by the UK.

According to Laurence Taylor, the counterterrorism policing lead, the UK national threat level was escalated from "substantial" to "severe" on April 30 because of the Golders Green stabbing attack.

Taylor highlighted the case of Alina Burns, an 18-year-old woman who received a 15-year and six-month sentence in May after carrying out an attack using an axe fuelled by far-right-wing extremist ideology.

Both the officials stated that there is a rising trend where children are being radicalised through the internet. Alfie Coleman was sentenced to 13.5 years on Wednesday after he attempted to purchase a gun from an undercover MI5 operative and was radicalised via the internet since his 14th year.

Evans stated that the extremists have designed the content of propaganda videos mixed with gaming videos and music aimed at influencing young people to recreate violence shown in video games.