British intelligence agency MI5 has raised the terrorist threat level in Northern Ireland to “serious”.
March 28, 2023 at 8:30 am ET
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LONDON — Britain’s MI5 intelligence agency on Tuesday raised the terrorism threat level in Northern Ireland to “serious” amid increased activity by breakaway Irish Republican militants.
Serious is the second highest level on a five-point scale and means that an attack is considered very likely. The threat was one notch lower at “serious” last year.
Paramilitary groups in Northern Ireland laid down their arms after the 1998 Good Friday Peace Agreement largely ended three decades of violent conflict between Irish republican and British loyalist groups and British security forces that have left more than 3,600 people dead. But small factions of the Irish Republican Army have continued to launch sporadic attacks on security forces.
UK Secretary for Northern Ireland Chris Heaton-Harris said: “In recent months we have seen an increase in activity related to Northern Ireland terrorism, targeting police officers who serve their communities and also endangering the lives of children and others members of the public.”
He urged people to “remain vigilant but not alarmed.”
Last month, senior police officer John Caldwell was shot dead by two masked men while he was coaching a children’s football team in the town of Omagh, some 60 miles (almost 100 kilometers) west of Belfast. Police said he suffered life-changing injuries.
An IRA splinter group called the New IRA claimed responsibility.
The threat level change comes ahead of events commemorating the 25th anniversary of the Good Friday Agreement.
US President Joe Biden is expected to visit Northern Ireland to mark the anniversary. Key players in the peace process, including former US President Bill Clinton and former British Prime Minister Tony Blair, are also expected to attend commemorative events in Belfast.
The threat level for the rest of the UK remains significant, meaning an attack is considered likely.