Crack teams hit the streets to deter Xmas attacks SAS TO FOIL UK TERROR THREAT
Harry’s hug for teen he helped in memory of Di
PATRICK WILLIAMS SAS counter-terror teams will be on the streets over Christmas amid fears of Islamic State attacks.
And they have been given a “shoot to kill” order if they believe civilians are at risk.
The teams will include snipers trained to identify and kill suicide bombers in busy urban areas.
Members of the elite force will be based in secret locations in London, Birmingham, Leeds and Manchester in order to combat terrorist threats.
Intelligence sources believe British-born members of Isis returning from Iraq and Syria are determined to carry out assaults.
Our source said: “MI5 believes hundreds of Britons who fought with Islamic State in Syria and Iraq will be returning to the UK in the next few months.
“Many will want to take revenge on the UK for attacks launched by the RAF and the special forces on Islamic State strongholds in Syria and Iraq.
“These people are very determined, battle-hardened terrorists, who are more than ready to die for their cause. They represent a significant threat to the UK.”
It is also understood the counterterrorist unit will be working closely with members of MI5, who will “mark and identify” suspects for kill or capture.
And Army bomb disposal experts are also on standby ready to defuse explosives or suicide vests on terrorists.
The force will be supported by members of the Special Reconnaissance Regiment who are experts in surveillance. The SAS teams will patrol Britain’s streets and shopping centres in the run up to Christmas and will also be present at high-profile New Year’s Eve events.
Our source also said that one of the main threats facing the UK is from “lone wolf” suicide attacks by radicalised British muslims.
The move comes just two weeks after MI6 chief Alex Younger warned that the PRINCE Harry has told how his charity work helped him come to terms with losing his mum.
He was just 12 when Diana died in a car crash in 1997.
Harry, 32, went on to continue her humanitarian work by setting up the Sentebale charity in Lesotho in southern Africa in 2004.
In a new ITV documentary where he is reunited with some of the children he has helped, Harry says: “I felt an overwhelming connection to many of the children I met. “We shared a similar feeling of loss, having a loved one – in my case a parent – snatched away so suddenly.
“I, like them, knew there would always be a gaping hole that could never be filled.”
Sentebale supports and educates youngsters affected by HIV and Aids. In a TV special tomorrow viewers will see Harry revisit Lesotho where he is reunited with his old friend Mutsu, who was orphaned by Aids. He met Harry 12 years ago when he was just four. Harry said: “For some reason we latched on to each other. He was tiny and I certainly UK faces an unprecedented threat from terrorism. He said: “The risks at stake are profound and represent a fundamental threat to our sovereignty.”
Last week, six terror suspects were arrested in a series of dawn raids across England. Five men and one woman were seized in Derby, Burton and London on suspicion of engaging in the preparation of an act of terrorism. ED GLEAVE remember his hand in my hand. It’s great to see that he’s so happy.” Harry said after accepting his role as a royal, his mother became a huge inspiration. He explained: “I was fighting the system going, ‘I don’t want to be this person. My mother died when I was very young and I don’t want to be in this position’. “But now I’m so fired up and energised to be lucky enough to be in a position to make a difference. “I now view life very differently. I used to bury my head in the sand and let everything around me tear me to pieces. Now, for me, I can see exactly where I want to take it.” Harry plans to become a dad one day, revealing: “To a certain extent there’s a lot of unfinished business, a lot of unfinished work my mother never completed. “I have this love for Africa that will never disappear. It will always be there and I hope that it carries on with my children as well.” Prince Harry In Africa is on ITV tomorrow night at 9pm