TERRORISM THREAT LEVEL RAISED TO `SEVERE'

Britain's terrorism threat level has been raised to “severe” as a precaution following attacks in France and Austria, interior minister Priti Patel said on Tuesday. The change means an attack is now seen as highly likely. “This is a precautionary measure following the terrible instances that we've seen in France last week, and the events that we saw in Austria last night,” Patel said in a televised statement. She said the public should not be alarmed and that the change in threat level was not based on any specific threat. The previous “substantial” level meant an attack was likely. Britain's threat level is assessed by the Joint Terrorism Analysis Centre, which is accountable to MI5 and made up of representatives from 16 government departments and agencies.