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Dissidents 'examining potential targets' in Britain

Dissidents are linked to the murder of prison officer Adrian Ismay. Picture by Justin Kernoghan, Photopress
Dissidents are linked to the murder of prison officer Adrian Ismay. Picture by Justin Kernoghan, Photopress Dissidents are linked to the murder of prison officer Adrian Ismay. Picture by Justin Kernoghan, Photopress

A DISSIDENT republican attack on Britain is a "strong possibility" after security service MI5 raised the official threat level to "substantial".

A DUP MP said dissidents are "examining potential targets" in Britain after Home Secretary Theresa May announced the service had increased the level from moderate to substantial - the third most serious category.

Mrs May said the move "reflects the continuing threat from dissident republican activity".

In a statement to the House of Commons, she said: "As a result of this change, we are working closely with the police and other relevant authorities to ensure appropriate security measures are in place."

The threat level to the UK from international terrorism remains at severe - meaning an attack is "highly likely".

Dissidents have not launched an attack in Britain in 15 years.

In 2000, a rocket-propelled grenade was fired at MI6 headquarters in London in a suspected Real IRA attack - one of several in Britain that year.

The last Real IRA attack in Britain happened on August 3, 2001 when a car bomb exploded in Ealing Broadway, west London, injuring seven people.

Mrs May said the threat level to Northern Ireland from terrorism within the north is also unchanged at severe.

She said dissidents continue to operate in the north "where they have targeted the brave police and prison officers who serve their communities day in and day out".

Dissidents have been linked to recent killings including that of Michael McGibbon in Ardoyne, north Belfast, last month and claimed responsibility for the murder of prison officer Adrian Ismay, who died in hospital after a bomb exploded under his van in east Belfast in March.

Dissidents are also believed to be behind a spate of paramilitary-style shootings including an attack on a 17-year-old boy in the New Lodge area of north Belfast on Monday night.

Ms May said dissidents "command little support".

"They do not represent the views or wishes of the vast majority of people, both in Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland, who decisively expressed their desire for peace in the 1998 Belfast Agreement and have been transforming Northern Ireland ever since," she said.

She added: "However it is sensible, given their stated aims, that the public in Great Britain should also remain vigilant and report any suspicious activity to the police.

"But we should not be alarmed, and this should not affect how we go about our daily lives."

DUP Lagan Valley MP Jeffrey Donaldson expressed surprise at the security assessment and is seeking an urgent Privy Council briefing to discuss it further.

"It is evident that dissident republicans are now active in Great Britain and are examining potential targets. Obviously that's a matter of concern," he said.

"We had no prior indication that the threat level had been increasing. In Northern Ireland, the threat has been severe for some time but quite clearly this is a new development in terms of dissident republican activity."