We are on top in the war against this vile creed

For the intelligence and security officials charged with the formidable task of keeping the country safe from terror attacks, it was simply a question of time before a lone fanatic brought carnage to the streets of Britain. Politicians, the police and intelligence chiefs have been warning for months that Britain faced the imminent threat of attack following the recent wave of atrocities committed in European capitals such as Paris, Brussels, Berlin and Istanbul. And, with Islamist terror groups such as al-Qaeda and Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (Isil) showing no sign of abandoning their commitment to attacking the West, Britain’s security forces have been in a state of high readiness in anticipation of such an attack. Compared with other European cities, London has, until yesterday, escaped relatively unscathed from the growing menace posed by Islamist fanatics. Indeed, it is down to the constant vigilance of our security services that Britain has not suffered another attack on the scale of the July 7 bombings in London in 2005, in which 56 people died and more than 700 were injured. At the time British security officials admitted they were struggling to get on top of the growing threat posed by Islamist militants. But lessons were learnt as a result of the attacks, so that in recent years a number of high-profile terror plots have been foiled and the perpetrators brought to justice. One of the more audacious attempts concerned blowing up a number of aircraft flying from Heathrow to the US in 2006.

Consequently, UK-based Islamist fanatics have been forced to resort to carrying out lone wolf attacks, such as the killing of Fusilier Lee Rigby in Woolwich in 2013, who was murdered by machete-wielding Islamist terrorists.

Latest intelligence assessments suggested this was the most likely form of attack that Britain would suffer, and it was because the police and other security forces were able to respond so quickly to yesterday’s attack in Westminster, that the casualty toll was kept to a minimum.

Of course there will be the inevitable inquiries into how the attack was allowed to happen, with the police and security services examining whether those responsible for this attack could have been apprehended in advance, and the dreadful loss of life avoided

They will also be looking at the timing of this attack, and whether it was in any way related to the Government’s decision to ban laptops and other electronic equipment from being taken on board civilian aircraft.

That measure has been imposed in response to new intelligence acquired by security officials in both Britain and the US that Islamist terror groups have developed the technology to conceal explosives in everyday electronic devices that are not picked up by airport scanners.

The intelligence shows that Islamist terrorists are still intent on carrying out bomb attacks on civilian airliners because, if successful, they incur mass casualties.

But, as yesterday’s attack demonstrates, perpetrating acts of terror does not rely on a great amount of sophistication.

All it requires is a lone fanatic determined to pursue their vile creed for innocent civilians to lose their lives.

‘It is down to the vigilance of our security services that we have not suffered another attack on the scale of 7/7’