MI5 Director General issues latest threat update

He explained how a more hostile world is forcing one of the biggest shifts in MI5’s mission since 9/11, with near-record volumes of terrorism investigations alongside fast-rising state threats, and the need to work together to make the UK a harder target. 

Counter Terrorism 

Since the beginning of 2020, in near record-breaking figures, MI5 and policing partners have disrupted 19 late-stage attacks and intervened in hundreds of other developing threats across the country. The scope of investigations has also shifted, with individuals and smaller groups now being the primary focus of investigative teams. Instability across the world has allowed Al Qaeda and the Islamic State to encourage and indirectly incite would-be attackers in the West.  

Ken McCallum highlighted the difficulties the online environment presents when identifying motive in the aftermath of an attack, whether it is terrorist, state-directed or non-ideological, directly impacting how law enforcement can respond.  

As it stands, one in five of the 232 terrorism arrests in 2024 involved children under the age of 17. This concerning figure has led to the development of the Interventions Centre of Expertise, a multi-agency team who will be responsible for managing threats from cases involving adolescents and those with complex risks. 

State Threats 

In the last year, there has been a 35% increase in the number of individuals investigated for state threat activity in the UK. This includes espionage against Parliament, universities and critical infrastructure, as well as newly developed terrorism-like methods of aggression, such as surveillance, sabotage, arson and physical violence.  

Russia remains an active threat, with MI5 officials and police disrupting several surveillance plots over the last year. Russian-based figures continue to utilise online platforms to spread chaos, division and violence in the UK, with recent investigations identifying the recruitment of proxies through social media platforms to carry out malignant activities across the UK and Europe. 

Over the last year, MI5 has tracked more than twenty potentially lethal Iran-backed plots. Fourteen international partners, including the UK, have condemned the recent Iranian threat, which has included coordinated attacks across Australia and Europe. Like Russia, Iran continues to deploy proxies to cause terror and incite violence across the UK and Europe. 

Although the UK-China relationship is complex, Ken McCallum emphasised that MI5’s role remains simple: detecting and disrupting activity threatening our national security, regardless of where it comes from. The National Security Act 2023 has closed legislative gaps and strengthened MI5’s responses against state-backed threats.  

However, to make the UK a harder target, organisations and public sector employees are encouraged to seek advice from the National Protective Security Authority (NPSA) and the National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) on issues ranging from protection of supply chain and valuable IP to cyber security. NPSA have recently published guidance on personal protection against other Foreign Intelligence Services (FIS). 

In the realm of new technology capabilities, MI5 have seen a significant rise in the exploitation of AI (Artificial Intelligence) by state actors, allowing them to strengthen their cyber attacks and spread malicious propaganda across Western nations. As AI continues to evolve, MI5 and other intelligence partners are becoming increasingly aware of the future risks associated with non-human, autonomous AI systems. However, Ken McCallum emphasised the positive advantages of responsible AI for criminal investigations and making the Intelligence Service more effective and efficient. 

You can read the whole speech here.